


Something just like this

by Yuneyn



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Chance Meetings, Dino is annoying though, Eventual Smut, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Fluff, I just wanted to write something cute and lighthearted, M/M, Promptis - Freeform, Strangers to Lovers, but Cindy and Aranea are cool, dorks flirting, happy feels, not a slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-01-09 19:18:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 42,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12282789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuneyn/pseuds/Yuneyn
Summary: On the other hand, Prompto was tired and lonely, and would most likely never see Noctis again once they stepped out of the plane. So, he definitely spared a quick glance at Noctis’ lips - dammit, nothing about this guy was fair - which was probably not at all subtle. Whatever. When he ended up alone in whatever hotel room the airline would provide for him, it would be nice to think back to this moment and imagine that maybe there had been more between them.A volcanic eruption forces all airports in Lucis to close one after the other. Prompto hasn't slept in 36 hours; he's had a really shitty year, and when his last chance plane has to turn back to Tenebrae, he wonders if he'll eventually be able to catch a break. Then he meets the gorgeous stranger sitting next to him.





	1. My heart is a mess

**Author's Note:**

> I said one day I would never write a modern day AU. And that I wouldn't start a multichapter fic again.  
> So, of course, here I am posting the first chapter to a modern AU thingy.
> 
> Remember the Iceland volcano that erupted in 2010 and blocked all air traffic over Europe for about an entire week? Well, I was on a business trip at that time, and the volcano happened on the day I was supposed to go home. Cue a lot of misunderstandings, one failed attempt at going back via another country, and one week going from hotel to hotel never really knowing what would happen (some people were talking about it lasting for months, and let's just say I was far enough not to be able to go back easily) 
> 
> Anyway. A few weeks ago I was super sleep deprived and thought - hey, wouldn't it be a cool setting for Prompto and Noctis to meet, go on dates and have sexy times in fancy hotels? I told a few friends about this, and they all encouraged me to write it so... here we are! 
> 
> So, I want to thank [Akumeoi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akumeoi/pseuds/Akumeoi), [Starchase](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starchase/pseuds/starchase), [CatchTheGhost](http://archiveofourown.org/users/CatchTheGhost/pseuds/CatchTheGhost), [Twitchy_Pendulum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twitchy_Pendulum/pseuds/Twitchy_Pendulum), [Broody_Chocobo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broody_Chocobo/pseuds/Broody_Chocobo), [PorcelainLove](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PorcelainLove/pseuds/PorcelainLove) and [KatKitoshi](http://archiveofourown.org/users/KatKitoshi/pseuds/KatKitoshi) for being awesome friends and validating this idea because I'm having A TON of fun with it!
> 
> And more thanks to [Akumeoi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akumeoi/pseuds/Akumeoi) for being a wonderful beta, as always!

_“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I am sorry to announce that the airport in Galdin Quay has closed as well. This plane will now be turning back to Tenebrae; we should be arriving in less than two hours.”_

Prompto woke up with a start. He sat up on his makeshift bed and stared blankly at the screen that displayed their course, watching the tiny animated airplane turn around with disbelief. How the hell could this be happening?

It should have all been easy - fun, even. Sure, he didn’t have much interest in his job, but it paid well enough and they had told him from the start that he would get to travel. So he had sucked it up and signed up for that boring IT job with that insurance company - at least at 23 he could say that his parents were finally sort of proud of him. Plus, he still had his evenings and weekends free to take photos and work on them. And, when after barely 6 months his boss had told him he was going to go on his first business trip - to Tenebrae, no less - Prompto had truly been excited.

Tenebrae was amazingly beautiful. He had seen photos, but he would never have imagined being able to go there - not so soon at least, and certainly not with all expenses paid by his company. Prompto, who had only flown a handful of times in his life, had found himself sitting in business class, eyes sparkling at how much leg room there was and at how the seat could actually become some kind of bed. He had barely even cared that he seemed completely out of place, looking much younger than everyone else and wearing sweatpants - because, really, there was _no way_ he was going to spend a 10-hour flight in a goddamned suit. He had been determined to enjoy this, even in spite of the work and his asshole colleague Dino, who thought being 3 years older than Prompto gave him the right to boss him around.

And, truly, everything had gone fine. The ten days had gone smoothly; the employees of the Tenebraen branch were super nice and had taken them to a lot of amazing restaurants; and he had used the free weekend to fill up an entire memory card with photos. It had been a great trip, and it had helped him forget a little about how shitty this whole year had been for him so far.

Except life apparently wasn’t about to give Prompto a break. They should have flown back to Insomnia more than 24 hours ago, but then everything had gone to hell. Apparently, during their last day in Tenebrae, the Rock of Ravatogh had decided to have a little fun of its own and released a shitton of ashes into the air, forcing airports to gradually close everywhere around Lucis. Prompto and Dino had spent the first night at the airport in Tenebrae, waiting to see if the situation would clear up by morning. When it didn’t, Dino had decided to take one of the hotel rooms provided by the airline and left.

But Prompto was stubborn. It wasn’t as if anyone in particular was waiting for him back in Insomnia - his parents would probably be worried, but he wasn’t living with them anyway… And his life there wasn’t exactly thrilling, either. But he really hated when things spiraled out of his control like this, and that he had had no information whatsoever about when the situation would improve. Galdin Quay’s airport hadn’t been closed yet, so he had managed to get a seat on the night flight there - and gotten an earful from Dino on the phone because _“blah blah blah the company should handle it, why do you need to make things so complicated, you should be more grateful, blah blah."_ Whatever. Prompto would fly out to Galdin Quay, get on a bus to Insomnia, and then he wouldn’t have to worry about that damn volcano anymore.

If Dino could remain stuck in Tenebrae alone for a few weeks too, Prompto wouldn’t miss him too much.

So, that was how he had found himself on this plane, thinking that this time life wouldn’t win, and barely caring that he had gone 36 hours without sleeping. Still, he was so exhausted that he felt right about to collapse. So, as soon as the seatbelt sign had gone off, he had put the seat into bed mode and had fallen asleep almost immediately.

Until he was awakened less than two hours later by this damned announcement.

“What… No, no, no, it can’t…” he muttered, barely realizing that he was starting to shake.

Prompto was too tired, he was too stressed out. This year had been hell - his “friends” from college had started ghosting him; his emotionally unavailable ex-boyfriend hadn’t even managed to have the balls to actually break up with him; he had taken a soulless corporate job just so his family wouldn’t treat him as a failure - everything sort of sucked. And, sure, maybe staying in Tenebrae longer could be nice, maybe he didn’t really need to go back to Insomnia, but for _once_ he simply wanted to feel like life wasn’t giving him a giant finger.

He _really_ had had enough of everything. He just wanted a break. And some sleep.

Instead, he was about to have a fucking breakdown in the middle of a crowded plane. In business class. Surrounded by composed guys in fancy suits. Gods _dammit_ , he just didn’t belong here.

He backed up into the shell of his seat as much as possible, hid his face in his arms as he hugged his knees and tried to get his breathing under control. His whole body felt numb, and he wasn’t sure whether or not he was about to throw up or burst into tears, and he was very much aware that he was most likely making a fool out of himself. At least Dino wasn’t here to tell him to stop being so weak, that he wasn’t the only person affected and that he should be ashamed. Or something equally nice.

“Fuck…” he breathed out as a sob escaped him. He really had to make the shaking stop. It wasn’t as if him breaking down would make the ash miraculously disappear and the plane turn back around. Fleetingly, Prompto wished he had had the presence of mind to lock himself in a bathroom so he could cry all he wanted.

“Hey… are you okay?”

Prompto flinched at the question, his heart somehow racing even more than before as he tried to bury his face deeper into his folded arms. He wasn’t sure exactly who had spoken; probably the guy sitting next to him… He hadn’t even looked at him when he had sat down, tired as he was. Plus, an attendant would most likely have added “Sir,” which would have honestly made this whole situation even more embarrassing.

He tried to say yes, that he was fine, but all that came out of Prompto’s throat was a garbled sound; and he just hugged his knees tighter, wishing he could disappear into the seat.

Prompto felt the edge of the “bed” shift and then the voice spoke again. “Can you hear me? I know the plane is loud.”

Not trusting his voice, Prompto simply nodded, his face still hidden in his arms.

“Good. I’m going to put my hand on your arm now, okay?”

Prompto nodded again, and while he almost jumped out of his skin at the contact, the warm hand was somehow grounding him a little.

“Now, I need you to take a deep breath, can you do that?”

Prompto managed to breathe. He didn’t really understand why anyone would want to bother with some idiot loser who let a stupid situation like this get to him, but the other guy’s voice was warm and comforting; so Prompto listened as this stranger helped him get his breathing under control.

It took a few minutes, but eventually Prompto felt his body stop shaking. His head hurt and his brain was a mess because he was still so _fucking_ tired and this whole thing hadn’t helped at all… but at least he felt somewhat able to speak properly.

“Thank you,” Prompto said quietly, still not raising his head, though.

“Don’t mention it,” the stranger said, and his hand squeezed Prompto’s forearm gently. “Will you be alright?”

Prompto took another deep breath. Well, he supposed he’d get a hotel room with the airline, then check with his company. Things should be okay. He was a ridiculous mess, but everything would probably work out fine. There was no need to bother this guy even longer - he had already been nice enough to help him through his breakdown. Prompto thought he should probably thank him properly, so he finally raised his head to look at the other guy.

_Oh Gods._

The man was positively gorgeous. He was wearing a dark grey shirt with the top button open and black suit pants. He seemed young, maybe about Prompto’s age, which might explain why his dark hair was styled in spikes instead of sporting a more professional look. And his eyes - dammit, even in the dim light from the plane’s overhead lighting, Prompto could see how deeply blue they were as they stared back at him with fond concern.

Okay, this was unfair. Nobody should be allowed to look that good on a 10-hour flight.

If anything, it made Prompto even more painfully aware of the fact that he stood out like a sore thumb with his dumb t-shirt and sweatpants, his hair not styled at all (who styles their hair before sleeping anyway?) and his face most likely all red and splotchy. At least he had been able to shower at the airport… but still.

Suddenly realizing that he was staring, Prompto straightened up a little, clearing his throat. “I, uh… yeah,” he sputtered, scratching his neck nervously. “I’ll be fine.”

Prompto tried not to think about how much he liked the sound of the other man chuckling, and how even more attractive he looked when he smiled. This was absolutely not the time, and besides, Prompto was not the kind of person to flirt with random people. He was barely able to flirt at all, to be honest.

“I’m glad,” the man said, smiling. His hand left Prompto’s forearm, but he didn’t move from his spot on Prompto’s “bed.”

“Thanks, um…”

“Noctis,” the other man interrupted.

“Thanks, Noctis,” Prompto said a little more calmly. “I, um… That really helped.”

“I told you, don’t mention it. Besides,” he sighed, crossing his arms and leaning against the back of the seat in front if Prompto’s, “this whole thing sucks.”

“That… yeah,” Prompto said. “Were you going to Galdin Quay?”

“Insomnia, but I figured this would be close enough.”

“Hmm, same,” Prompto said, leaning back in his seat.

“So, what were you doing in Tenebrae?” Noctis asked.

Prompto smiled slightly at the question. He had honestly expected Noctis to just go back to his seat once he knew that Prompto felt better, but the small talk was very welcome. He really needed to focus on anything other than the fact that they were really going back to Tenebrae, and that he had no idea how or when he would be able to go home.

Also, should he mention again that the guy was really very handsome?

“Business trip… Nothing fascinating,” Prompto sighed. “You?”

“Vacation.”

“Dude, who wears suits on vacation?” Prompto asked, laughing.

“Says the guy who wears sweatpants on a business trip,” Noctis retorted with a smirk.

“Okay, seriously, why would anyone want to sleep in a suit?”

Noctis laughed softly, and _Gods_ Prompto was way too tired because a simple laugh shouldn’t give him stomach butterflies.

“I guess I’ve gotten used to it,” Noctis trailed off, looking away a little. “Besides, I can sleep anywhere. But… yeah, I might have used my last day here for some business stuff.”

They kept talking like this for a while. For all of Prompto’s social awkwardness, Noctis was actually pretty easy to talk to. Maybe the lack of sleep helped, but Prompto felt comfortable, like they’d known each other for years instead of a few minutes. Prompto mentioned how he had thought studying computer stuff could at least get him a cool job in a video game company instead of this soulless insurance thing - Noctis laughed and asked which games he liked, and they were right in the middle of debating which Assassin’s Creed game was the best one when they heard the announcement that the plane would be beginning its descent soon.

Noctis stood up between their seats and straightened out his arms. “Need a hand changing this back into a seat?” he asked, gesturing at Prompto’s still-unfolded bed.

Prompto raised an eyebrow at him. “You know how to do it? I had to ask the attendant last time,” he admitted, a bit embarrassed. In his defense, it wasn’t just a case of pushing a button; there was some weird manipulation to be done with the cushions, and Prompto hadn’t wanted to risk looking like a complete idiot.

“It’s not that difficult, look,” Noctis said with a slight smirk, before extending his hand towards Prompto.

Prompto’s mind blanked for a second as he watched himself grab Noctis’ hand and get pulled to his feet. There wasn’t that much room; so when they were both standing in the small space between their seats, Noctis shifting around to switch places with him, Prompto felt his heart rate pick up a little. His brain might still have been fuzzy with sleep, yet he noticed many little details. Like how they were both almost exactly the same height, how Noctis’ hand released his own to touch his arm slightly as they moved around, how Noctis’ skin seemed absolutely flawless - which, again, not fair - and… okay, maybe his tired brain was imagining things, but Prompto could swear that he saw Noctis’ eyes quickly dart towards his lips.

He had probably imagined it. They had only just met, after all, and he looked like a total mess. And even if he didn’t, there was no way a guy like _that_ could ever be interested in someone like Prompto.

On the other hand, Prompto was tired and lonely, and would most likely never see Noctis again once they stepped out of the plane. So, he definitely spared a quick glance at Noctis’ lips - _dammit_ , nothing about this guy was fair - which was probably not at all subtle. Whatever. When he ended up alone in whatever hotel room the airline would provide for him, it would be nice to think back to this moment and imagine that maybe there had been more between them.

Lost in thought, Prompto barely registered the faint blush appearing on Noctis’ cheeks as their eyes met for a second - and he definitely did not pay attention to how Noctis was folding his seat back up, because staring at the back of his head seemed much more interesting. In Prompto’s defense, Noctis’ hair looked really soft in spite of the gel styling it, and that was really intriguing, okay?

“See, easy!” Noctis said, and Prompto jumped as he fully realized Noctis was facing him again.

“Um…” Prompto uttered eloquently, his eyes wide.

Noctis laughed softly, and there was a fondness in his eyes that Prompto was most likely imagining - because Noctis certainly thought he was a complete idiot. “You look exhausted, man,” Noctis said, stepping aside to let Prompto sit down, gently patting his back as he did, and Prompto was definitely reading too much into things now.

“Yeah…” Prompto said, letting himself fall back in his seat. “Haven’t slept for... I don’t know, it must have been almost 48 hours now? Minus the little sleep I got on the plane.”

Noctis winced exaggeratedly as he sat down in the seat next to Prompto’s. “48 hours? How are you not dead?”

Prompto let out a heartfelt laugh at Noctis’ utterly offended expression. “I don’t know? I might be,” he started, then quickly reeled back in horror as he almost added some horrifying line about maybe being in heaven, given the good company.

Maybe pulling almost two all-nighters in a row wasn’t making Prompto the smoothest talker - but there was a line that should not be crossed. Ever.

Noctis only smiled and leaned a little bit towards Prompto. “Shit, I’ve been talking to a ghost this whole time, then?”

Prompto grinned and raised one eyebrow at Noctis. “Maybe you’re one too? Maybe the plane never turned back and the volcano got to us?”

“You’re a dork,” Noctis chuckled, playfully swatting Prompto’s arm.

“Sorry- I’m _very_ tired,” Prompto said, cringing.

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing,” Noctis said softly, the unreadable expression on his face making Prompto’s stomach do a series of backflips for a moment. “Hey, by the way, I never got your name?” Noctis asked then.

“Oh, sorry- I’m Prompto.”

Noctis’ lips curled into a gentle smile, his eyes shining with amused fondness - and Prompto knew he was definitely done for when he heard Noctis speak again, his voice warm and sincere.

“Nice to meet you, Prompto.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, if you were wondering, yep, some companies have seats that completely unfold into beds in business class. I've only done this once, but I was lucky enough to be on one of them, and much like Prompto, I felt super out of place but it was also super awesome. Well, the volcano thing was not super fun - especially since I had an asshole colleague myself, and no Noctis to make up for it. (But I did meet my now husband on the day I got back to work at home, so, hey, not too bad!)
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope you liked this first chapter! I have written everything up to chapter 3 so far and I have a rather good idea of the outline... Still, I'm not entirely certain how long this will be, I guess it will depend on these two dorks because I can't always control them^^. There probably won't be any angst or drama... I just wanted a fun, happy fic about these two falling in love in that particular setting. And I hope to be able to update regularly, something like once a week or every two weeks, unless my kid suddenly decides not to nap anymore.
> 
> Don't hesitate to bother me on Tumblr [@yuneyn](http://yuneyn.tumblr.com/) and Twitter [@Yuneyn_](https://twitter.com/Yuneyn_/) \- I scream about Promptis a lot!!


	2. How much do you wanna risk?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Alright. Maybe Prompto hadn’t been imagining things for the last two hours. He had no idea how this was even possible, but he sure wasn’t going to fight it. Maybe it was life’s way of apologizing - hey, sorry I got you stranded super far away with your awful colleague; here’s a really hot guy to make up for it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments on the first chapter!! I'm so happy you guys seem on board with this crazy idea!  
> Here's a second chapter, where Prompto is still very tired, and Noctis is still very charming ;)

It was something like 4am when they got off the plane, and Prompto found himself walking down the halls of Tenebrae Airport for what must have been the 100th time these past 36 hours. Of course, as it was his first business trip, he wasn’t equipped for it at all. While Noctis was effortlessly dragging a small carry-on suitcase with wheels on which his laptop bag was resting, Prompto’s carry on was a stupid shoulder bag with no wheels. Maybe he had decent upper body strength, but his shoulder was definitely straining from the effort of having carried it around for too long - not to mention the laptop bag on his other shoulder.

Prompto was not going to complain about it though, not in front of Noctis - who now looked even more handsome with his suit jacket on, while he had just slipped on his hoodie before leaving the plane. He didn’t really want to let himself believe that Noctis was actually lowkey flirting with him; the guy was  _ way _ out of his league - and, honestly, this kind of thing just  _ never _ happened to Prompto. The past few relationships he was in had all been with people he’d known for a while, and most of the flirting had been done by email or text message. 

Not that any of these relationships had been a great success, though. 

“Want one?” Noctis asked, stopping in front of some luggage carts. 

Prompto stopped, too, as he hesitated for a second. His body was screaming at him to take one, but his brain stubbornly wanted to try and make a good impression. And based on the way they had met, he knew he had a long way to go.

“Nah, I’m fine,” Prompto said with a grin, adjusting his bags on his shoulders and trying to ignore the way his body was protesting.

Noctis rolled his eyes and grabbed a cart. “Dude, you’re not fine, and my back is in pain just looking at you. Use the damn cart.”

Prompto stared at the cart, then sighed as he gave Noctis a shy smile. “Fine- but, at least put your luggage on as well.”

“You’ve noticed my suitcase has wheels, right?” Noctis replied, raising an eyebrow at Prompto.

“Yeah, well, you helped me earlier, least I can do is push it through the airport,” Prompto shrugged.

“Aw, and here I thought it would be worth a cup of coffee,” Noctis teased as he helped Prompto arrange their bags on the cart.

Prompto spluttered a little and felt himself blush at the suggestion. “Um, sure- I mean, I would totally get you something to drink if you want,” he said quickly, looking at Noctis hesitantly.

Noctis chuckled and playfully nudged Prompto’s arm. “Relax, I was joking. You don’t have to buy me anything, I’m glad I could help.”

Prompto froze for a second, unsure what Noctis had meant by that. The lack of sleep making him slightly less inclined to overthink his words, he decided to try something. “Maybe I don’t have to… but what if I want to?”

Noctis smirked a little, but there was a definite warmth to it. “It’s a date, then.”

Alright. Maybe Prompto hadn’t been imagining things for the last two hours. He had no idea how this was even possible, but he sure wasn’t going to fight it. Maybe it was life’s way of apologizing -  _ hey, sorry I got you stranded super far away with your awful colleague; here’s a really hot guy to make up for it. _

They made their way to the airline’s counter, conversation still flowing easily between them. Noctis let Prompto get in line first, and Prompto was given a room in a different hotel than the one Dino was in, which was both a good thing and a bad one. It was nice, because at least Prompto wouldn’t have to face him at breakfast, and if the situation lasted beyond the weekend they wouldn’t have to share a cab to go to the office here. But it also meant Dino was probably going to give him crap - mainly for being an idiot and not getting the hotel room yesterday like he had. 

While Noctis was busy at the counter, Prompto stepped aside and switched his phone on, his thumb hesitating over Dino’s contact information. He then remembered that it wasn’t even 5am yet, so at least calling was out of the question. Prompto simply typed a quick text with the hotel’s information, mentioning he was now going to sleep and that he’d call later. It was Saturday morning, after all, and while Prompto knew he was going to have to deal with the whole “going home” situation later, he could at the very least allow himself to sleep in the whole morning. 

He also sent a message to his parents so that they wouldn’t worry about him, and another one to his best best friend Cindy, who had asked him to give her status updates. He debated telling her about Noctis, because he knew she’d love hearing about him, but he figured it would be more fun to call her later. Prompto was smiling as he sent her a text - maybe the guys he had known in college had been jerks to him, but at least she was still around. They had known each other for almost 10 years, after all, and it felt nice to have someone in his life he knew he could rely on.

“Good news?” Prompto heard Noctis ask, and raised his head to face him.

“Ah, no, just… sending updates to my family and friends. And my idiot colleague.”

Noctis chuckled, then looked pensive for a moment. “I was just wondering… Seeing how upset you were earlier, maybe you had something important to do back in Insomnia.”

“No, no, that’s not it,” Prompto said quickly, shaking his head. “I… um... It’s stupid, really.”

“I’m sure it’s not,” Noctis said softly.

“Well… I just felt kind of powerless, you know? This whole situation… There was nothing more I could do about it and… Well, I like being in control,” he said, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

Noctis smirked and raised one eyebrow at Prompto. “Do you, really?”

Prompto stared at him blankly for a few seconds, before realizing just exactly what Noctis was insinuating. “I- wait, no,” he choked, blushing furiously, and Noctis started laughing. “Oh, shut up,” he said then, swatting Noctis’ arm.

“Alright, alright,” Noctis said, still laughing. “So, which hotel did they give you?”

“Fair...view, something?” Prompto asked, retrieving the paper the airline had given him from his laptop bag. 

“Same, then. Wanna share a cab?”

“Of course,” Prompto replied with a smile. “Oh, wait, how do I get my suitcase back? They said they’d transfer it from yesterday's flight to that Galdin Quay one, but I don’t remember us passing any baggage claim, right?”

“Nah, they must be a bit overwhelmed with so many flights being cancelled. But- let me look at that paper they gave you,” Noctis asked, and Prompto handed him the slip of paper. “See, they got your checked luggage information here, that means it will be sent directly to the hotel when they get it. I saw them write it down for me, you probably didn’t notice.”

“Yeah… Maybe you didn’t notice, but this isn’t exactly my finest hour,” Prompto sighed, slipping the paper back into his bag.

“I think you’re doing great,” Noctis said with a chuckle. “You’re way more alert than I’d be if I hadn’t slept for so long. It’s been almost 24 hours for me and trust me, I’m not happy about it.”

“Well then, let’s go get us some sleep, alright?” Prompto said, patting Noctis’ back as he started walking towards the exit.

“I thought we were getting coffee?” Noctis asked, and Prompto could swear he sounded a little disappointed.

Turning to face Noctis, Prompto gave him a warm smile. “Tell you what, let me sleep first and then I’ll buy you breakfast with that coffee, okay? Or lunch, depending on the time. I’m seriously about to collapse.”

“This date keeps getting better,” Noctis replied, grinning. 

“Wait until it actually happens,” Prompto said, and winked at Noctis. 

_ Gods. _ He had actually winked. He was the worst. 

Fortunately, Noctis didn’t seem to mind, as he just chuckled and nudged his arm as they passed through the airport exit. There weren’t many people waiting for cabs this early in the morning, so they barely had to wait for 5 minutes before getting into one. 

A comfortable silence fell between them. Leaning back into his seat, Prompto watched the landscape through the window as he felt the tension leave his body. Things were far from being solved, and he would likely have to make more calls later that day, but for now he accepted that there was nothing more he could do. Besides… it wasn’t all bad, after all, Prompto thought, glancing quickly in Noctis’ direction. 

He wasn’t really sure what was happening - or what he wanted to have happen. He wasn’t exactly in the best of shape right then, and even if he had been, he truly wasn’t used to being hit on by people he didn’t know. His past relationships had left him rather wary of giving away his trust - yet part of him couldn’t help but hope he’d eventually meet someone  _ normal _ to have a real relationship with. And by normal he meant neither mentally abusive, nor emotionally unavailable. 

And while he felt definitively more comfortable around Noctis after only a few hours than around most people he’d known longer… He just couldn’t understand what Noctis wanted with him? At least a date, apparently, but then… Was it just some kind of “we’re both stranded here let’s have fun” kind of thing? The guy was ridiculously hot, and - unlike Prompto - he looked like he actually belonged in the whole business trip thing. He could probably get anyone he wanted, so why settle for a loser in sweatpants who was losing his shit in public? Sure, Prompto knew he could clean up nicely enough when he styled his hair well and wore fitting clothes - but right then, he was looking pretty much as if he had just woken up with a nasty hangover after a long night of partying. 

Well, technically, he  _ had _ just woken up - except that short nap he had taken in the plane hadn’t really done anything after staying awake for so long and walking back and forth through the airport more times than he could count. And, now, without the adrenaline rush from all the stress he had been under, Prompto could feel how tired he actually was. He felt as if he was about to fall asleep right there in the cab - and Noctis’ loud yawning wasn’t helping.

“Gods, please, don’t yawn, I’m trying to survive this ride, here,” Prompto whined, elbowing Noctis’ arm.

“Hmmm, I just want a cat nap,” Noctis mumbled, leaning against the window.

“No way, dude, I need you to keep me awake until we reach the hotel. If I fall asleep for 10 minutes I’ll feel like shit afterwards and it’ll take me an hour to fall asleep when I get to the room.”

“You’re weird,” Noctis said, stretching his arms as much as possible in the cramped back seat. “I just fall asleep.”

“Yeah, well, some of us aren’t blessed with that ability. I was only able to sleep in that plane because I hadn’t slept the night before…” Prompto sighed, rubbing his face with his hands to try and keep himself awake.

“I’m sorry,” Noctis said softly. “That must suck.”

“Meh, I’m used to it…” Prompto trailed off. “If I can hold on until I get to my room, I’ll just collapse and get some decent sleep for a few hours.”

“Alright,” Noctis said, shifting in his seat a little, his head resting on the back of the seat, turned to the side to face Prompto. “How are we going to keep you awake for the next 10 minutes?” he asked with a small smirk.

Prompto realized then that his head was in the exact same position as Noctis’ and that the backseat was cramped enough that their faces were only inches apart. He was staring into Noctis’ deep blue eyes, and suddenly it was as if everything had become silent, save for the deafening sound of his own heart beating against his chest. 

_ One heartbeat. _

He saw the way Noctis’ eyes definitely focused on his lips for a second, and the way Noctis’ cheeks darkened a little after that. 

_ Two heartbeats. _

Prompto knew he was biting his lip - it was probably not the sexiest thing but he couldn’t help it. He felt his face heat up, and his thoughts were racing through his mind. Suddenly he wasn’t really tired anymore. Noctis’ face was so close, he would only need to lean in a little and they could be kissing - and clearly that would be a very nice way to occupy the rest of the cab ride. 

He couldn’t really do that, though, could he? He wasn’t the kind of guy who kissed strangers in the back of a cab, as if he was coming home drunk from a club with someone he had met there. It was just not something he did. 

_ Three heartbeats. _

Noctis was still staring at him, though, and  _ dammit _ the guy was gorgeous; and sure, maybe Prompto wasn’t the kind of guy to kiss people he had just met - but he also never had had a guy like Noctis want to kiss him. Surely, an exception could be made.

Noctis must have seen something shift in his eyes because the next thing Prompto knew, he was leaning in. 

And then Prompto felt himself being thrown forward, only to be caught by his seatbelt before he could collide with the front seat. He blinked a few times to try and catch up with what had just happened, then heard the driver utter a string of profanities, apparently directed at the car in front of them. 

Just Prompto’s luck. 

Worrying his lip again, Prompto risked a quick glance towards Noctis, who had one hand over his mouth and was visibly glaring at the back of the driver’s seat.

Well, the moment had definitely passed, but it had left Prompto with an exhilarating rush coursing through his veins, and he absolutely loved that feeling. Besides, it didn’t mean that this wasn’t going to happen later, right? They still had that… date to go on, after all.

Which reminded Prompto. “Hey, um… Maybe we should, like, exchange numbers or something? So we can meet up later? I mean, if you’re still interested in getting something to eat…” He was fumbling with the strings of his hoodie as he spoke, trying not to sound too nervous.

Noctis turned to face him, an unreadable expression on his face that soon turned into fondness - and something else - relief, maybe? “Sure. Let’s do that.” Noctis shifted, then, taking his phone out of his pocket. “You should probably call me when you wake up, though, otherwise I’ll just sleep through the whole day.”

“Dude, what it is with you and sleep?” Prompto asked, laughing.

They exchanged numbers and went back to chatting in the same easy, comfortable way they had since the plane until they finally reached the hotel. It was a very tall building, and Prompto was silently hoping that he’d get a room on a higher floor. So, obviously, when he saw his room was on the 18th floor, he was overjoyed.

“Man, the view must be amazing!” Prompto exclaimed, brandishing his keycard as Noctis walked with him to the elevator, then heard Noctis chuckle. “What?”

“Nothing,” Noctis said, an obvious hint of amusement in his voice. “It’s just nice, how a simple thing can make you happy.”

“Well, what can I say? It’ll make for a great photo op!”

“You like photography?”

“A lot! I kinda wish that someday I can make a living out of it,” Prompto sighed as they stopped in front of the elevator doors. 

Noctis gave him a gentle smile. “Sounds great,” he said softly, before pushing on the button to call the elevator. 

They both had rooms on the same floor, so Prompto knew they’d remain together until they reached the first door, but as they waited in silence he could feel a new kind of tension fall between them. It wasn’t that different from their almost-kiss in the cab, though, and Prompto was deeply aware of how his fingers were fidgeting nervously and how he was breathing a little more harshly.

As the elevator doors opened, they both stepped inside, and Prompto put his bags on the ground and leaned back against the opposite wall. When Noctis went to stand next to him, their arms barely brushing, Prompto noticed they were alone, and just like that the tension between them cranked up a notch.

_ Shit- _ was Noctis expecting something? 

Was  _ Prompto _ expecting something?

No. Definitely not. Just like he wasn’t the type to kiss strangers in the back of a cab, he also wasn’t the type to sleep with someone on the first date. Never mind that this wasn’t even a date; that had always been his rule. 

Then again, it had never prevented him from dating jerks. Maybe this rule had made sense when he was younger, so that he wouldn’t let himself agree to do anything he wasn’t comfortable doing. Maybe now that he was older, more experienced, and knew what he wanted, he could cut himself some slack. 

_ Fuck, _ he was actually considering it, wasn’t he?

It made sense, in a way. Being stranded in a beautiful hotel with a gorgeous stranger sounded a bit too cliché to be true. Noctis was probably only looking for a fling, and Prompto knew he was bad at flings. He usually fell hard and fast for people - so maybe they should just get it over with and part ways. 

Prompto almost scoffed at that thought - his brain always had a bad habit of coming up with a ton of nonsense whenever he wanted to justify himself. What if Noctis was looking for more than a fling and Prompto ended up ruining everything by assuming differently?

What if Noctis wanted this as well, and they would still go on their date afterwards?

What if Noctis had just been being nice and didn’t really plan on meeting later at all?

_ What if- _

The ‘ding’ from the elevator pulled him out of his thoughts, and Prompto followed Noctis into the hallway. Checking their room numbers, they followed the signs to the right. 

Thoughts were racing through Prompto’s tired brain. He thought back to all his failed relationships and how he shouldn’t let himself trust too quickly. He thought back to this past year, the bad non-breakup, the ghosting from the college jerks, the job he had taken without really wanting it. He thought back to these past few days, his colleague treating him like crap, the stress from not knowing anything about the volcano situation. He thought back to the past few hours, how Noctis had helped him while he had been a perfect stranger, how comfortable it felt to be around Noctis, and how he kinda wished they had actually kissed in the cab.

“This is yours,” Noctis said, as they stopped in front of Prompto’s room. 

“Oh- right. Um…” Prompto muttered, fidgeting with his keycard as he continued pondering what to do.

Noctis seemed to hesitate for a second, then smiled one of those warm smiles again, and Prompto felt his heart rate increase once more. “Call me when you’re up, okay?” 

_ Fuck it. _ Maybe it was because he was too tired to care, or maybe Prompto had simply decided to give himself a break and just do what he wanted for once instead of overthinking everything; but one thing was certain.

He really didn’t want this moment to end.

“Hey,” Prompto said, feeling his voice waver a little, and he braced his arm on the door to ground himself. “I don’t… normally do this but um…” he continued, biting his lip and avoiding Noctis’ eyes.

“Yes?” Noctis asked, and Prompto looked at him and, yes, okay, he was totally fine with throwing his stupid rule out.

“Do you… want to stay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun... Sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger ;)  
> Rating may or may not change next week depending on Noctis' reaction... (But, come on, who are we kidding?)
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked this new chapter :)  
> Don't hesitate to bother me on Tumblr [@yuneyn](http://yuneyn.tumblr.com/) and Twitter [@Yuneyn_](https://twitter.com/Yuneyn_/) \- I scream about Promptis a lot!!


	3. Pull me closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:
> 
> _“Hey,” Prompto said, feeling his voice waver a little, and he braced his arm on the door to ground himself. “I don’t… normally do this but um…” he continued, biting his lip and avoiding Noctis’ eyes._   
>  _“Yes?” Noctis asked, and Prompto looked at him and, yes, okay, he was totally fine with throwing his stupid rule out._   
>  _“Do you… want to stay?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, did Noctis end up staying with Prompto?  
> And is it a different rating I see?
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter^^ You'll also be introduced to Prompto's *charming* colleague.  
> Also if you guys don't like smut, you can just jump to the second half of this chapter... There should be more scenes like that in the whole story but not *that* many either, so...
> 
> Thank you again for all the comments and kudos, they always brighten my day!!

Their lips met as soon as the door closed behind them, bags and suitcase randomly ending up on the floor of the room, the ‘do not disturb’ sign hastily shoved onto the doorknob. Prompto didn’t even spare a glance towards the window to check out the view, immediately pulling Noctis closer to him by the lapels of his jacket. Noctis replied by slipping one arm around Prompto’s waist and tangling his fingers in messy blond hair.

Given how Noctis’ eyes had darkened when Prompto had asked him to stay - a sight that he wasn’t about to forget - Prompto had expected them to start kissing hard and fast right away. But the way their lips brushed against each other was surprisingly soft and sweet, as if they were slowly trying to learn how to best kiss each other before going any further.

Prompto pushed a bit more, his lips parting slightly, and Noctis reciprocated, their tongues meeting halfway and - _okay_ \- this was one damn good first kiss. Certainly one of Prompto’s best kisses - if not _the_ best so far. Maybe it was just that Noctis knew what he was doing, or that as Prompto got older he also got more experienced - or maybe it was the thrill of being with someone he had just met. Or, maybe, it was simply that everything with Noctis up to this point had felt so natural, it was only logical that it would be the same for kissing him.

He let out a soft moan as their kiss deepened, feeling Noctis’ grip on his waist tighten. Taking a few steps back, Prompto let himself be pushed up against the wall, discarding Noctis’ jacket in the process. His hoodie soon ended up on the floor as well; Noctis’ hands immediately slipped underneath his t-shirt, the contact almost burning, making Prompto eager for more. His fingers moved to unbutton Noctis’ shirt just as the other man’s lips left his own to kiss their way alongside Prompto’s jaw.

As Prompto reached the last button, Noctis’ tongue traced a steady line along Prompto’s neck. An undignified moan left his throat and Prompto threw his head backwards, his hands clutching at the fabric of Noctis’ shirt. Alright - maybe Prompto’s neck was, like, super sensitive. Of course, Noctis had picked up on Prompto’s not-so-subtle reaction, and was now focusing on kissing and nibbling his neck, making Prompto’s head spin as a familiar warmth pooled in his abdomen.

Prompto tugged firmly at Noctis’ hips, hooking one leg up to bring their bodies closer. They both groaned at the contact, and then Prompto heard Noctis chuckle softly before pulling back to look at him - and the bastard was smirking proudly.

“Sorry,” Noctis said - and _fuck,_ his voice sounded _good_ like that, low and a bit hoarse. “Forgot you liked being in control.”

If Prompto hadn’t been so turned on he probably would have rolled his eyes and laughed - but, if this was how Noctis wanted to play it, Prompto wasn’t going to protest.

“Shut up,” Prompto breathed, his lips curling into a teasing smile. His foot back on the floor, Prompto put one hand on Noctis’ chest and pushed him backwards, leading him towards the bed and making him sit on the edge.

Moving deliberately slowly, Prompto straddled Noctis’ thighs, sliding the other man’s shirt down his shoulders and arms without breaking eye contact. Noctis leaned back on his hands, watching Prompto intently, his eyes dark with arousal - and, really, there was something kind of empowering in having a guy that hot look at him like _that._

Prompto’s hands followed the lines of muscles on Noctis’ toned chest; feather-like, teasing touches that made Noctis’ breath hitch. When Noctis groaned and closed his eyes briefly as Prompto’s thumbs grazed his nipples, Prompto smirked a little and made a mental note for later - because, yes, maybe he was hoping that this wouldn’t be a one-time thing.

Prompto’s hands eventually reached Noctis’ abs, fingertips hovering along the waistband of his pants; and Noctis suddenly surged forward, grabbing Prompto’s hips as he captured his lips in a heated kiss. Prompto smiled into the kiss, then tentatively ground his hips down against Noctis’. The feeling of their clothed erections rubbing against each other sent electricity shooting up and down Prompto’s spine as they both groaned into each other’s mouths.

They moved against each other a few more times, Noctis’ fingers digging into the skin of Prompto’s hips, while Prompto’s arms were locked around Noctis’ neck, one hand lost in his dark hair. Noctis eventually slowed his movements, breaking the kiss but pressing his forehead against Prompto’s.

“I don’t…” Noctis whispered between harsh breaths, “I don’t have any…”

 _Shit-_ of course, Prompto didn’t have condoms with him either. He hadn’t planned on so much as flirting with anyone during this trip, much less ending up in _this_ situation. Still, while this was a minor setback, Prompto couldn’t help but feel a little bit happy - after all, if Noctis was just as unprepared as he was, it probably meant that he wasn’t the type of guy to have random one-night stands either. In a way… it made Prompto feel somewhat special. And - _really_ \- he needed this.

“I… don’t either,” Prompto breathed out, and he chuckled, because honestly, this was so stupid.

When Noctis laughed along, Prompto really wished that there would be a next time.

“Well… I guess we can still…” Noctis said, looking away a bit nervously.

Prompto smiled fondly; it was just so endearing that this guy who seemed so confident earlier could become all flustered over implying a hand job. “Yeah,” he said softly, trailing kisses along Noctis’ jaw. “Besides, I’m not exactly on my A-game…” he admitted, keeping his tone playful.

Noctis let out a low moan as he tilted his head to give Prompto better access. “Hmm- Now I’m curious,” he teased, his fingertips tracing patterns on Prompto’s back, underneath his t-shirt.

“Well, if you’re lucky… maybe you’ll find out later,” Prompto whispered in Noctis’ ear, hoping his voice was low enough to hide that he was actually nervous.

When Noctis cupped his jaw and breathed “I’d like that” against his lips before kissing them again, Prompto thought fleetingly that he probably was the lucky one.

They stopped talking after that, Prompto’s t-shirt quickly joining Noctis’ shirt somewhere on the floor as everything between them became only urgent touches and heated kisses, their hips rocking into each other’s harder and faster until it just wasn’t enough anymore.

Soon enough they were panting into each other’s mouths, foreheads pressed together as their hands worked in between them, trying to follow the same rhythm. Noctis’ other hand was buried in Prompto’s hair, tugging slightly, while Prompto was holding on to Noctis’ waist. Prompto started stroking Noctis faster, rocking his hips in Noctis’ grip as he chased his own release. It was rushed and kind of messy; but Prompto didn’t really care, because he was too tired and too worked up, and he knew now that they’d get to do it again anyway.

Noctis’ breath hitched and then he groaned, burying his face in the crook of Prompto’s neck, and Prompto could feel the way the other man’s body tensed as he reached his climax. Prompto was almost there; and maybe the hand stroking him started moving somewhat erratically as Noctis tried to come down from his high, but Noctis made up for it by biting at the juncture of Prompto’s neck and collarbone - and that was enough to send him over the edge, a broken moan dying in his throat.

They held onto each other for a while, heads resting on each other’s shoulders as they tried to even out their breathing. Prompto knew they should clean up - awkward as it might be, it was still better than the alternative. So, he raised his head and placed a brief kiss on Noctis’ lips, whispering “Be right back” as he stood up quickly, pulled his sweatpants back on and made his way to the bathroom to grab some towels.

Catching a glimpse of his reflexion in the mirror, he noticed that he looked tired as hell, his eyelids heavy over his bloodshot eyes - but his skin had a nice, pinkish glow to it that he found went quite well with his messed up hair. Prompto smiled as he picked up a towel and rubbed it over his stomach, a soft, happy sigh escaping his lips. Yeah, he definitely had no regrets. Even if they only went on one or two dates after this and things ended up not working out between them, it had been nice to just give in and allow himself to feel good for a moment.

Not wanting to leave Noctis hanging for too long, Prompto quickly grabbed another towel - these hotels always provided way too many of them, anyway - and stepped back into the room. Noctis had also put his pants back on, but he hadn’t made any move to pick up his shirt or leave. He was still sitting on the edge of the bed, looking away and scratching the back of his neck nervously. Prompto thought once again that the flustered look was really super cute on Noctis.

“So, um…” Noctis trailed off, avoiding Prompto’s eyes. “Do you want me to…”

Prompto interrupted him by straddling his thighs again, though this time it was without all the urgency from earlier. “Stay,” he whispered, resting his forehead against Noctis’ and pressing the towel against the other man’s stomach.

Noctis let out a sigh that definitely sounded relieved, and grabbed the towel with one hand so he could clean himself up. He lifted his other hand to cup Prompto’s cheek, and placed a soft kiss on his lips that made Prompto’s heart flutter a little.

“Alright, now I’m really going to collapse,” Prompto said, smiling against Noctis’ lips.

“That good, huh?” Noctis teased, tugging a few strands of Prompto’s hair behind his ear.

Prompto scoffed and swatted Noctis’ arm as he got up. “Idiot,” he said, before letting himself fall face first into a pillow, groaning loudly because - _Gods_ \- finally lying down felt amazing. And yes, he was aware that he had just gotten off.

He heard Noctis chuckle, then step around the bed to the other side. “Dude, at least get under the covers,” Noctis said as he tried to tug the bedspread from underneath Prompto’s body.

Prompto groaned again, but shifted enough so that he’d get his legs under the covers. He watched with his eyes half opened as Noctis took off his pants and joined him in the bed.

“Told you those weren’t comfortable to sleep in,” Prompto muttered as Noctis rolled over to face him.

“Yeah, well, I’m not sure people would like it if I spent the whole flight in my underwear,” Noctis replied in a joking tone.

“I’d like it,” Prompto mumbled sleepily, his mind barely registering that this was, yet again, a horrifying thing to say.

But Noctis just laughed and shifted closer to Prompto, one arm slipping around his waist. “Go to sleep,” Noctis whispered, and Prompto smiled faintly when he felt soft lips pressing a kiss to his forehead before he finally allowed himself to drift off.

* * *

Prompto was brought back to reality by the muffled sound of his ringtone coming from somewhere in the room. It took him a moment to fully comprehend what was happening, as his mind was still fuzzy with sleep. The first thing he noticed was how bright it was in the room in spite of the closed curtains - at least he hadn’t wasted the whole day sleeping. As his eyes got more accustomed to the light, he looked for his phone on the bedside table, then realized he must have left it in his bag - and that it was probably why the ringtone sounded so weird.

He groaned slightly and tried to move a little, but that was when he noticed the arm draped across his chest and the warm body pressed against his back.

_Oh, right._

There was a second of panic as the events of last night - well, morning - came back into focus. Alright, so, for the first time in his life, Prompto had jumped into bed with a complete stranger. A very hot, nice and funny stranger too. Then again, seeing as Noctis was still here snuggling him, maybe there was no need to panic at all. Right now, he mainly had to make that annoying sound stop.

Prompto slowly untangled himself from Noctis’ embrace and smiled fondly at how the other man barely stirred. He got his phone out of his bag and immediately winced as he saw who was calling so insistently - _Dino._ Sure, it was a little before noon, but still, Prompto had said he’d be the one to call, right?

Sighing, Prompto answered his phone and moved to the bathroom so he wouldn’t make too much noise. “Morning, Dino.”

_“Why didn’t you answer?”_

Prompto rolled his eyes. _Yeah, hello to you too._ Typical Dino. “I was asleep, I only got to the hotel around 6am or something.”

_“I really can’t understand why you couldn’t take a hotel room when I did.”_

He sat down on the bathroom floor and rested his head back against the door. No use arguing with that guy. “Yeah, well, you were right. So, what’s up?”

_“We should go to the airline’s office in the city center, see if they can book us on another flight soon.”_

Okay, that was ridiculous. First of all, there was nothing the guys at the airline’s office could tell them that they couldn’t learn by calling the airline. They would just waste hours waiting in line for nothing. Also what had happened to ‘letting the company handle it’? Prompto just couldn’t follow this guy sometimes. Or maybe it was just that Dino wanted to keep an eye on him, something Prompto wouldn’t put past his annoying colleague.

“Are you sure this will make any difference? I thought you said the company would handle it, maybe we should just make some calls to the airline and travel agency?”

_“You’re really lazy, you know that? You need to stop thinking people will do everything for you.”_

Prompto bit his tongue and resisted the urge to bang his head against the door. Ugh, he just hated this guy. “Yeah, sure,” he muttered quickly. “Can I at least shower and get some lunch first?”

There was a sigh at the other end of the line. _“Alright, meet me there at 2.”_

Then the call ended. Prompto rubbed one hand over his face and took a deep breath. There were six people in his team back home; why did he have to get stuck with Dino on his first business trip?

Sighing, he glanced at his phone again. He had a little over two hours to shower, get something to eat and hop into a cab. It was more than enough. Still, he should also wake Noctis up, and it was terrifying him a little bit because… what now?

 _Alright, no need to overthink things, Prompto._ They had said they’d go eat lunch together, after all, right?

Stepping out of the bathroom, Prompto moved to the bed where Noctis was lying on his side, apparently still sound asleep. Prompto found himself smiling again, because _dammit_ , Noctis looked really cute when he was asleep. And yes, maybe they had just met, but he’d be lying if he said he totally didn’t think that he could get used to this sight.

“Noctis?” Prompto called out quietly, sitting down next to him. Noctis didn’t move one bit, which didn’t really surprise Prompto given how the guy had barely reacted when his phone had rung earlier. Prompto put one hand on Noctis’ shoulder and pushed gently. “Noctis?” he said again, a bit louder.

This time, a groan escaped Noctis’ throat, and he rolled over onto his back, one of his arms moving to cover up his eyes.

“Hey, sorry to wake you, but my colleague called and I have to meet him in, like, two hours…”

“...time is it?” Noctis mumbled, and Prompto tried really hard not to find his sleepy voice too adorable.

“Almost noon. We could get some lunch, I mean, if you want.”

Noctis groaned again, his body tensing up as he stretched out his limbs, then rolled back onto his side once more, barely opening his eyes to squint at Prompto. “Noct,” he said.

“Huh?”

“You can… My friends call me Noct,” Noctis continued, his voice still heavy with sleep.

“Friends, huh?” Prompto said with a nervous chuckle.

Noctis blinked a few times; then his eyes actually opened and really focused on Prompto. “Yeah, ok,” Noctis said, and cleared his throat as he propped himself up on his elbow. “Not the best choice of words. In my defence, you just woke me up,” he added with a smile.

Prompto laughed nervously again. “Sorry…” He leaned back against the headboard as his arms hugged his knees. “This is a little awkward,” Prompto said quietly.

“Doesn’t have to be?” Noctis said, sitting up next to Prompto. “I mean, yeah, maybe we skipped a few steps here but… It doesn’t have to be a bad thing, right?”

Prompto turned his head towards Noctis and smiled softly. “Guess not.”

Noctis turned his head to look at Prompto - and Prompto could definitely feel the butterflies in his stomach come back to life when their eyes met. “Besides, I seem to remember the promise of food?” Noctis teased, but there was a vulnerability in his eyes.

“Right,” Prompto chuckled, and just like that, the mood had lifted. “I’m sorry, though, I won’t be able to stay super long. My colleague wants us to go to the airline’s office…”

“That’s kind of useless, why don’t you just call them?” Noctis asked, looking surprised.

“Beats me,” Prompto sighed. “When I suggested that he said I was lazy and blah blah blah. Honestly? I think he’s bored and wants to be able to annoy me for a few hours.”

“Sounds like a nice guy,” Noctis winced.

“The worst… Anyway, I should get ready. I’ll never hear the end of it if I’m late.”

“I could come with you and kick his ass, if you want?” Noctis teased.

“Saving me again?” Prompto raised an eyebrow at Noctis. “Aren’t you quite the knight in shining armor?”

Noctis smirked and leaned in slightly. “So, does that make you the damsel in distress?”

Prompto rolled his eyes. “Shut up!” he said, playfully swatting Noctis’ arm. The butterflies in his stomach became restless when Noctis caught his hand in his own, intertwining their fingers.

“Make me,” Noctis breathed, leaning closer, his eyes darting between Prompto’s eyes and lips.

And Prompto obliged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I warn you, the whole plot of this story is kind of turning out to be "Prompto and Noctis falling in love super fast and being complete dorks." So, if you want something deep with a complicated plot, it probably won't be for you. If you just want happy feels about these two idiots, then I hope you'll stay for the ride!
> 
> I've been kinda sick lately and my son is apparently changing nap schedule and crying a lot so I barely have had time to write... Chapter 4 is being edited, and I've started working on Chapter 5, but please forgive me if I start taking a bit longer with updates. I'm trying my best - but my brain is a bit overwhelmed at the moment. In any case, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for sticking with me :)
> 
> Don't hesitate to bother me on Tumblr [@yuneyn](http://yuneyn.tumblr.com/) and Twitter [@Yuneyn_](https://twitter.com/Yuneyn_/) \- I scream about Promptis a lot!!


	4. If I just breathe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prompto was vaguely aware that he was grinning like an idiot, his face pressed against the cab window as he replayed in his mind the conversation he had had with Noctis during lunch. His heart was fluttering in a way that was both exhilarating and terrifying. This definitely felt like the start of something, but Prompto was also really scared to let himself get carried away too fast._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly couldn't believe the amazing response I've had to the previous chapter - Thank you all so much!! I'm still having a lot of fun with this AU, and there's definitely more to come!
> 
> This chapter was a bit more complicated to write - I feel like it's kind of the transition between "we just met but let's hook up" and "um... now what's going to happen exactly?" and, well, Prompto's having a hard time not overthinking.  
> Still, there's plenty of dorky flirting in it, so I hope you'll like it! And we now have Cindy too!

_“Okay, this is gonna sound really stupid but… You’re, like, one of those cool, composed suit guys… And, I mean, I must have looked like a complete idiot on that plane, right? But you helped me, and then you stayed and, well, you’re still here, and… I just don’t get why?” Prompto asked, tugging nervously at the hair at the nape of his neck._

_Noctis laughed and tilted his head, putting down his fork. “First of all, I’m not that cool. Also, you looked cute. And… how can I say this?” Noctis trailed off, picking up his fork again to play with his food. “You get used to this. The traveling, the fancy stuff, everyone looking super professional and all… But it’s not real, you know? It’s like everyone’s wearing a mask or something. And then you were there, wearing sweatpants because, yeah, that’s the logical thing to do on these flights, and showing your emotions and… I don’t know. I’m not good at… you know, words,” he said, a nervous chuckle escaping him._

_Prompto simply smiled. “So, basically, you were seduced by my ability to freak out?”_

_“Ugh, I guess it sounds ridiculous when you say it like that,” Noctis whined, covering his face with one hand._

_“Nah. It was sweet,” Prompto said, and his smile turned into a smirk. “Say, what about you then, with your fancy suit and all. Are you wearing some kind of mask?”_

_Noctis stared at Prompto from behind his hand for a second before letting it drop. He raised an eyebrow at Prompto and leaned slightly over the table. “Well, you’ve seen me without the suit, right?”_

_Prompto scoffed and playfully kicked Noctis’ leg under the table. “Idiot.”_

_Noctis just laughed and reached for Prompto’s hand, squeezing slightly as he laced their fingers together._

* * *

Prompto was vaguely aware that he was grinning like an idiot, his face pressed against the cab window as he replayed in his mind the conversation he had had with Noctis during lunch. His heart was fluttering in a way that was both exhilarating and terrifying. This definitely felt like the start of something, but Prompto was also really scared to let himself get carried away too fast.

Unfortunately, overthinking was something Prompto did very well. And seeing as he was going to be spending the next few hours waiting in line with Dino, daydreaming about Noctis was clearly appealing. Of course, it didn’t help that he was wearing Noctis’ clothes, and that the smell was _very_ distracting.

Once they had reluctantly managed to stop their make-out session - Prompto cursing Dino under his breath - he had called the front desk to ask about their luggage, but it hadn’t arrived yet. And, of course, instead of packing a change of clothes in his carry-on, Prompto had filled it with souvenirs and everything that didn’t fit in his suitcase. Seeing as he hadn’t been too excited about going out wearing the same sweatpants and t-shirt he had been wearing for more than two days in a row, Noctis - the ever prepared businessman - had offered to lend him some clothes. _“I’m just gonna hang out in my room anyway,”_ he had said, pushing a pair of dark jeans and a black t-shirt into Prompto’s hands.

The clothes fit well enough, although they were a little baggier than what Prompto was used to. And given the heavy look Noctis had given him when he had stepped out of the bathroom, freshly showered, his hair properly styled, all dressed in black… Well, Prompto assumed he didn’t look too bad in them.

Prompto sighed deeply, slightly steaming the window, before leaning back against his seat. His fingers were fidgeting with his phone, but _no_ , he was not going to text Noctis. Not now, not so soon after he had left. And yes, maybe they had exchanged another really nice kiss in the hotel lobby before Prompto had had to go; but no, Prompto was absolutely not thinking about that right now.

Pressing his face up against the window again, Prompto thought that life was way too complicated. It should totally be okay to meet someone and like them right off the bat, without having an existential crisis over going too fast or seeming clingy or whatever. He blamed the insane amount of TV shows he had watched over the years for that line of thinking, too.

His heart jumped in his chest when his phone vibrated, interrupting his swirling thoughts. It was Noctis. Apparently the guy didn’t overthink things as much - which Prompto was grateful for. 

> _[Noctis] Got my luggage, yours should be at the front desk when you get back. How’s the colleague?_

Prompto smiled and typed a reply quickly. 

> _[Prompto] I’m still in the cab- not looking forward to this tbh. Thanks for the info, I’ll give you back your stuff tonight then ;)_
> 
> _[Noctis] Or, you can keep it for dinner. I won’t mind. Really._

Prompto fought back the urge to snort at this. They actually had plans to meet tonight, their “date” having been pushed back again. There just hadn’t been enough time to go out and find a place to eat lunch, so Noctis and Prompto had simply ended up eating a quick thing at the hotel’s restaurant. As it turned out, the airline had also paid for one meal as an apology for the situation - not that they had anything to do with it - so, Prompto had insisted it didn’t count as a real date. Noctis had laughed, and said that in that case, they had no choice but to go out for dinner.

And, of course, Prompto was now grinning like an idiot again, and he couldn’t really tell whether it was because of the memory or the text, but it didn’t really matter. Before he could reply, though, his phone vibrated again, and this time he had to bite his lip. 

> _[Noctis] I mean, if you really want to take them off, that’s okay too._
> 
> _[Prompto] Smooth ;)_
> 
> _[Noctis] I know, right? You’re totally seduced now._
> 
> _[Prompto] Totally. You just upgraded from knight in shining armor to Prince Charming._
> 
> _[Noctis] Who are you then, Sleeping Beauty?_
> 
> _[Prompto] Dude, based on this morning, I think it’s clear you’re Sleeping Beauty._
> 
> _[Noctis] Hey, I thought I was Prince Charming?_
> 
> _[Prompto] Hmm, guess I’ll have to get back to you after our date ;)_
> 
> _[Noctis] Nuh-uh, you’re the one asking me out, you should be the one to charm me._

Completely focused on his phone, Prompto almost jumped when the cab driver called out to him.

“Sir?”

Looking around, Prompto noticed that they were indeed downtown. He sighed when he caught sight of Dino sitting on a bench not too far from where the cab had stopped. Well, fun times ahead.

“Just a second,” Prompto told the cab driver, retrieving his wallet with one hand while he typed a quick text with this other.

> _[Prompto] As much as I’d like to continue this, I’ve unfortunately arrived :( Later?_

He paid the cab driver then stepped out, taking a deep breath. He really, _really_ wasn’t looking forward to wasting his afternoon waiting in line with Dino. He felt his phone vibrate again in his hand as he walked toward his colleague, and checked it quickly.

> _[Noctis] Sure :) Good luck. And you can text me if you’re too bored or need to vent about a certain someone… I have to make some calls but then I’ll probably just chill._

Well, at least Prompto wouldn’t have to entirely fake the smile on his face when he greeted Dino.

* * *

Just as Prompto had anticipated, coming here had been completely useless. There had been so many people in line that they had had to wait for almost 2 hours, and Dino had been going on and on about how badly organized this was and how there should have been a special line for people traveling in business class. At some point, Prompto thought that if he rolled his eyes one more time, they might end up getting stuck inside his brain.

He hadn’t even had the chance to text Noctis, because when Dino wasn’t complaining, he was talking to Prompto about the work they had done in Tenebrae the previous week, and what would have to be done next. As if Prompto was a complete idiot and had no idea what his job was. Sure - he hated it - but that didn’t mean he was bad at it.

Anyway, when they had finally gotten to talk to someone, the airline employee had told them that there was nothing they could do until the Lucis airspace was deemed safe again, and that unfortunately no one knew when that would be. In the meantime, they could simply call the airline for status updates. As they had left the office, Prompto had had to bite his tongue hard not to say “I told you so.”

Sitting on a bench outside of the building, Prompto watched as Dino angrily dialed the emergency hotline for the company’s travel agency. He sighed and took out his phone, smiling as he saw a few texts from Noctis asking if Prompto was alive or if he should actually come and kick Dino’s ass.

> _[Prompto] I’d kick that entitled little shit’s ass myself if it wouldn’t get me fired._
> 
> _[Noctis] I take it that went well?_
> 
> _[Prompto] Useless as planned. He’s making a call, then I’ll try to leave._
> 
> _[Noctis] Right, you mentioned having to get ready for a date? ;)_
> 
> _[Prompto] Oh, yeah, I’m taking this guy out for dinner… I just met him but he seems nice, I guess?^^_
> 
> _[Noctis] Is he cute?_  

Prompto snorted and was about to reply when Dino sat down next to him. He quickly turned off his screen before Dino could snoop.

“What’s so funny?” Dino asked.

“Just… talking to a friend,” Prompto said dismissively. “So, what did the travel agency say?”

“They could book us on the Monday evening flight - but they can’t say whether or not it will be cancelled. I guess we just have to wait,” he sighed.

“Alright then, thanks. Guess I’ll go back to the hotel,” Prompto said and stood up, eager to leave as soon as possible.

“Wanna get some drinks? Since the company is still paying…” Dino asked, and Prompto had to resist the urge to roll his eyes for the thousandth time this afternoon. Instead, he forced an apologetic smile.

“Sorry- I actually met an old friend at the airport, so we’re meeting later to catch up.” Okay, that was a complete lie, but there was no way he was going to share the truth with Dino.

Dino sighed again and frowned slightly. “You’re no fun. Well. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Sure, or we could also meet at the office on Monday anyway,” Prompto said quickly as he spotted a cab on the street. Ignoring whatever Dino was saying in reply, he stood up to hail the cab and stepped in, offering Dino a small wave. Prompto was a polite guy who tried his best to avoid conflict - but dammit, this guy made it hard sometimes.

As the cab drove away, Prompto started relaxing. Then he remembered that he hadn’t answered Noctis earlier - and when he checked his phone, there were a bunch of unread messages. 

> _[Noctis] Ok I’m sorry. That was bad. Please don’t ignore me._
> 
> _[Noctis] Prom?_
> 
> _[Noctis] (I can call you Prom, right?)_  

Prompto couldn’t help but smile fondly as he typed his reply.

> _[Prompto] Sorry, Dino interrupted. Of course you can call me Prom^^_
> 
> _[Prompto] And to answer your earlier question: yes, he is ;)_
> 
> _[Noctis] :)_
> 
> _[Noctis] Coming back?_
> 
> _[Prompto] Yep. I have successfully escaped. When do you want to meet for dinner? Is 7 okay?_
> 
> _[Noctis] Wanna come by before then? I’m just sitting around playing King’s Knight._
> 
> _[Prompto] Hmm. The promise of King’s Knight is enticing._
> 
> _[Noctis] I should probably feel jealous but it is a damn good game._

They kept texting until the cab reached the hotel, the easy banter between them helping Prompto relax after his meeting with Dino. He was also ridiculously happy that Noctis wanted to spend time with him before their date. Still, he was trying _really_ hard not to get too excited about whatever was going on between them - like, he totally had not imagined the two of them in various domestic situations while he was pretending to listen to Dino earlier. That would absolutely _not_ have been the chill thing to do.

Prompto paid the cab driver, then went to pick up his suitcase from the front desk. He sent some quick texts to Cindy and his parents to let them know he was stuck here until Monday at least. He considered calling Cindy briefly, but then realized that if it was 5pm here it was 10pm in Insomnia, and she had mentioned having plans that night. It was okay, he might have more to tell her later anyway.

He stepped into his room, and set his suitcase against a wall. The room was quiet and empty, and the bed had been made. Looking around, Prompto was assaulted by memories of his few hours with Noctis, and somehow the place started to feel a bit suffocating. His breath hitched, and Prompto realized that he was beginning to panic a little. He moved into the bathroom, rested his hands on the sink and stared at his reflexion in the mirror, trying to take deep breaths. The last - what was it, 14, 15 hours tops? - had been a rollercoaster. His freakout, meeting Noctis, the immediate attraction, the intimacy, the playful banter - things between them had felt so natural. But right now, as Prompto was about to join him again and continue whatever was going on between them, it was suddenly outright terrifying.

Prompto’s past relationships had been… well, definitely _not_ great. They had left him more broken than anything. Sure, he had had a few meaningless flings here and there, which had only showed him how much he didn’t like flings. But his two serious relationships? The first one had been with an insanely jealous guy, who was always screaming and gaslighting Prompto over things that hadn’t even happened. And the second one, well… that was with the emotionally unavailable guy, and Prompto was pretty sure now that the guy had just been in it for the sex. He was also quite certain that he had only ended up in this messed-up relationship because of how horrible he had felt once he had finally managed to end things with the first guy.

So, yeah, Prompto had quite a few hang-ups. Noctis, despite saying he was bad with words, had somehow managed in a few hours to be more open about what was going on between them than his last ex. And he had been so nice, so helpful - and Prompto was scared, because this seemed too good to be true. Either he was going to fall for Noctis too fast and end up heartbroken when things eventually didn’t work out, or he was going to bolt at the first sign of a red flag because he just couldn’t take that again.

The reasonable thing to do would be to try and stay cool, go meet Noctis and just see what happened next. Maybe things could go right this time. But Prompto had a hard time letting himself believe it; and he was still breathing way too hard, flashbacks running through his head. He was getting dizzy, so he tried splashing some cold water on his face, but it didn’t help much. There was no way he could actually go see Noctis like this; he needed to stop freaking out first - which was a bit ironic given that he had been in the middle of a freak-out when they had met.

There was one other person that had the ability to calm Prompto down, though, and it was Cindy. She had always been there for him, and Prompto knew he _needed_ to call her. Even for a minute; even if he felt bad for disturbing her when she had other plans. He took his phone out of his pocket and placed the call. Cindy answered after a few rings.

_“Hey sweetheart, how’s the extended vacation treatin’ ya?”_ he heard Cindy chirp into the phone. Prompto couldn’t help but smile softly. His friend had a thing for pet names, and while Prompto wasn’t a huge fan of them, he didn’t mind her calling him a myriad of potentially embarrassing things. That’s what best friends were for, after all.

“Hey, Cin. Sorry, I know you were busy tonight,” he said, hearing people talk in the background. “I won’t be long, I just… I’m kinda freaking out here.”

_“Yeah, I can hear it in your voice. What’s going on? Dino say somethin’ to you again?”_

“Meh- He’s his usual self, but no, I… I kinda met a guy on the plane last night? And, well, _stuff_ happened, and now we’re going on a date, and- Cin, he actually seems like a _good_ guy,” Prompto stammered nervously.

_“Stuff, huh? I’m gonna need details later, loverboy. Also, I can hear you overthinking from here, so stop it.”_

“You know I can’t. You know _why_ I can’t.”

_“Yeah, I know. I also know that you need to stop beatin’ yourself up and thinkin’ you don’t deserve happiness or something, ‘cause that’s just bullshit. Ya dated some complete assholes, sure, but you also learned from it. Trust yourself, okay? If he seems like a good guy, then go on this date, have yourself some fun, see how things are goin'. And if anythin’ goes wrong, I’m here for ya.”_

Prompto took another deep breath and exhaled slowly. He could feel some of the tension leaving his body and managed a small smile as he stared at his reflection again. Of course, Cindy hadn’t told him anything he didn’t know already, but it always had a different impact when she was the one saying these things. He sure wasn’t _okay_ \- that would take some time - but he was finally able to picture himself walking to Noctis’ room and knocking on the door without freaking out.

“You’re right. Of course you’re right.”

_“I’m always right. And I know you ain’t gonna stop overthinking anyway, but… If ya got an opportunity, don’t walk away from it. You deserve a chance at a real relationship, ya know.”_

“Right. I won’t. I’ll go meet him now,” he said, trying his best to sound determined - for his own sake, mainly. “Thanks, Cin. And sorry I disturbed you. Knowing you’re there... it means a lot.”

_“I always have time for you. Now go. And remember, I want details.”_

“I’ll text you later. Also- sorry, no details,” he said with a chuckle.

_“No fun. But, hey, at least you’re laughing. Later, loverboy!”_

Prompto was smiling as he hung up the phone, and took yet another deep breath. Alright. He could do this. He could go spend a nice evening with a really cute, fun guy who seemed to enjoy his company. Gods, that sounded like such a ridiculous thing to obsess over. He checked his hair briefly, satisfied with the way it looked - and the way he looked overall. Then Prompto gave his reflexion a resolved look and stepped out.

His heart was racing as he knocked on Noctis’ door, anxiety mixed with anticipation leaving him slightly nauseous. But then Noctis opened the door, and yes, he did look gorgeous, but that was almost secondary at this point. What really struck Prompto, what made his stomach do a series of backflips and threatened to turn his knees into jelly was how utterly sincere Noctis’ smile was and how the other man’s eyes lit up as he opened the door.

As Prompto beamed in return, he briefly allowed himself to believe that maybe he had actually been given another chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, I wanted to add a bit more to Prompto's backstory - to show why he's not always able to fully relax, and why Noctis is pretty much the best thing to happen to him (of course he is). So that's why this chapter wasn't all cute, but don't worry, I've finished writing chapter 5 and it's ONLY cute dorks flirting. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you liked it :)  
> Don't hesitate to bother me on Tumblr [@yuneyn](http://yuneyn.tumblr.com/) and Twitter [@Yuneyn_](https://twitter.com/Yuneyn_/) \- I scream about Promptis a lot!!


	5. It's way too soon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Any anxiety he had felt at the thought of joining Noctis again had pretty much disappeared - at least for now - save for a tiny gnawing feeling at the back of his mind reminding him to be careful. Still, there was just something about Noctis that had made him feel at ease almost immediately again. He might have been looking like the perfect businessman back in the plane, but Prompto knew that Noctis was also a complete dork - and he liked that side of him immensely._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all of you who are still following this mess of a story! Here's some incredibly tooth-rotting fluff for you <3

“Come on, you totally cheated!”

“That’s just called skill,” Noctis teased, playfully elbowing Prompto.

“Not fair,” Prompto pouted exaggeratedly, “I should have won this round.”

“Is someone a sore loser?” Noctis laughed, ruffling Prompto’s hair.

“You’re just bragging so mu- Hey!” Prompto exclaimed, swatting Noctis’ arm away from his head.

Any protest that Prompto might still have wanted to utter died in his throat as Noctis pressed their lips together, Prompto’s hand instinctively tangling itself in Noctis’ hair. How many times had this happened? Prompto had lost count; he just knew that this was definitely the best way to solve gaming arguments ever.

Any anxiety he had felt at the thought of joining Noctis again had pretty much disappeared - at least for now - save for a tiny gnawing feeling at the back of his mind reminding him to be careful. Still, there was just _something_ about Noctis that had made him feel at ease almost immediately again. He might have been looking like the perfect businessman back in the plane, but Prompto knew that Noctis was also a complete dork - and he liked that side of him immensely.

_“Welcome to my place,”_ Noctis had said upon opening the door, _“should I give you a tour?”_ He had then proceeded to act as if he was giving Prompto an _actual_ tour of his hotel room, until Prompto had just burst into uncontrollable laughter. Needless to say, it had been the perfect ice breaker. They had eventually ended up sitting on Noctis’ bed, playing King’s Knight together - and occasionally being distracted by kissing.

Not that Prompto minded.

“Want revenge?” Noctis asked, smirking, as they broke apart.

“You bet!” Prompto exclaimed, and he was about to start a new game when he saw the time on his phone. It was a little past 7pm, and he suddenly had an idea. Okay, it was a silly, ridiculous idea; but to be fair, it was pretty much on the same level as Noctis giving him a _tour_ of his hotel room. So, Prompto figured it should be fine.

“On second thought,” Prompto said, then jumped off the bed, “just wait here.”

“Huh?”

Prompto ignored Noctis’ confused look and darted outside the room. He waited for a few seconds, then knocked on the door.

Noctis opened immediately, his eyes half-questioning and half-worried for a second - until Prompto leaned sideways against the doorframe, a wide smirk on his face.

“Hello there,” Prompto said in a deep voice, raising one eyebrow in an exaggeratedly seductive manner. “Ready for our date?”

“You…” Noctis uttered, deadpan, before bursting into laughter. “You’re so…” he said again, still laughing, bracing himself against the door.

“Yes?” Prompto asked almost innocently, grinning madly as he tried not to laugh.

“Different,” Noctis said when he could breathe normally again. Prompto was confused for a second, and Noctis must have noticed it somehow, because he started speaking again. “I mean, different from everyone I know.”

“Is it another one of those ‘everyone is wearing a mask’ kind of things?” Prompto asked, still unsure what Noctis meant.

“Maybe,” Noctis said with a teasing smile. “It’s a nice change, in any case,” he added, before leaning behind the door to grab his jacket.

Okay, that was still a bit vague, but they were still getting to know each other, after all. Besides, it sounded positive, right? So Prompto let himself relax again, and was about to head down the hall towards the elevator when Noctis stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“Didn’t you forget something?” Noctis asked, and he was very obviously trying not to laugh.

Prompto furrowed his brow as he looked back at Noctis - then realization dawned on him as he noticed he hadn’t bothered putting on his shoes when he had bolted out of Noctis’ room. He closed his eyes for a second then glanced at Noctis again, who seemed way too happy for Prompto’s taste.

“Don’t say anything,” Prompto said, poking Noctis’ chest before stepping back inside the room.

“Sorry for distracting you,” Noctis teased as Prompto finished tying his shoes.

“I said-” Prompto retorted as he closed the door behind him, then swatted Noctis’ arm, “shut up!”

Noctis just laughed and grabbed Prompto’s hand, pulling him closer until their faces were only inches apart. Prompto raised his other hand and put his index finger on Noctis’ lips.

“Think you’re getting a kiss so early in the date?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “A bit presumptuous of you.”

Noctis chuckled. “Guess I’ll have to be on my best behavior, then,” he said, staring straight into Prompto’s eyes as his lips moved against his finger.

_Not fair,_ Prompto thought; and he had to swallow hard because it was way too tempting to give in and kiss Noctis again - or slightly press his finger a bit more against Noctis’ lips so that it’d slip inside his mouth. Prompto wasn't sure which option was more appealing right now.

_No._ Now was not the time to surrender to his hormones again. Noctis might be way too attractive for his own good, but Prompto was also starting to _actually_ like him - as insane as it might sound to _like_ someone he’d known for less than 24 hours. In any case, he really wanted to get to know him better, and not just in a physical way.

That didn’t mean he couldn’t tease a little bit himself as well, though.

“Guess you will,” Prompto whispered, leaning in so that their noses were brushing, but not removing his finger. Noctis was smiling but his eyes were visibly darker; and Prompto held his gaze for a moment, their breaths mingling while neither of them made a move to close the distance.

It had probably been only a few seconds, but time seemed to stretch out until Prompto eventually stepped away. “So, let’s go?” he asked, innocently, a small smirk on his lips.

“Lead the way,” Noctis replied, and Prompto couldn’t help but feel a little proud at the definite hoarseness he could hear in the other man’s voice.

* * *

They ended up at a small place not too far from the hotel. Prompto didn’t really know the city well, having only explored it a bit during the previous weekend and looking mainly for places to photograph; and he didn’t really want to have a first date with anyone at one of the fancy places he had been to with the other employees. Sure, the food had been awesome, but Prompto just wouldn’t have felt in his element, and he was awkward enough on his own, thank you very much.

Incidentally, the restaurant they were in had a warm, cosy atmosphere - and, nicely enough, small booths near the windows that gave a semblance of privacy. Even though they were not in the heart of Tenebrae, they were in a busy enough area that the street was well-lit as the sun went down, and many people were still passing by. But even when they walked close to the window against their booth, Prompto didn’t really pay them much attention.

He was perfectly aware that he couldn’t stop smiling, and truly, he couldn’t care less. There was a voice at the back of his mind - Cindy’s voice, really - that kept saying that it was okay to feel happy for once, and that he deserved it. So, Prompto allowed himself to genuinely smile and laugh, and just be himself in general.

“Fishing? Really?” Prompto asked, trying to hold back a chuckle.

“Hey, it’s a perfectly valid hobby,” Noctis protested, before thanking the waitress who was bringing them their plates.

Prompto thanked her as well before focusing his attention on Noctis again. “It’s just… I don’t know. Probably just a stereotype, but when I think of fishing I picture… well, people older than you.”

“Is this some subtle way to ask for my age?” Noctis asked, smirking.

“Maybe,” Prompto replied, shrugging slightly. “But also genuine concern.”

“Fine, I won’t take you to a fishing date then,” Noctis retorted, rolling his eyes. “And I’m 23, by the way.”

“I mean, you could, I would just take photos…” Prompto trailed off. “But wow, how are you the same age as me and already used to all of this business trip stuff?”

Noctis sighed, and stared at his plate, idly playing with his food. “My dad’s always worked a lot, travelling for business and all… I guess you could say I grew up in that world? But he also used to take me fishing when I was little. It’s real quiet out there, you know? Helps you forget about work and everything else.”

“I think I get it,” Prompto said quietly, looking pensively at the way Noctis was now pushing his food around. Now that he thought about it, Noctis hadn’t talked about himself a lot yet, apart from a few vague comments about _“that world”_ and how Prompto was different. Noctis hadn’t said much just then, but Prompto wasn’t entirely stupid, he could read between the lines a little, and he did notice the sudden vulnerability in Noctis’ posture. He could sense this was sort of a sensitive topic, and he wasn’t one to pry, so he thought changing the subject would be better.

“You don’t like the food?” Prompto asked, genuinely getting a bit worried at the way Noctis was carefully pushing half the contents of his plate to the side. They had both agreed on the restaurant, so it was weird.

“I don’t eat vegetables,” Noctis said very matter-of-factly, still focused on his task.

“You don’t…” Prompto said in disbelief. “Are you allergic or something?”

“I’m allergic to the fact that they’re totally gross,” Noctis replied, still not looking up.

Prompto stared at Noctis a bit longer, his eyes wide, then couldn’t suppress a snort.

“What?” Noctis asked, finally looking back at Prompto.

“Nothing,” Prompto said, his smile half-hidden behind one of his hands. “I mean, we could have gone somewhere else, you know.”

“It’s fine. Believe me, I’ve been in Tenebrae enough times to know that people here _love_ their greens,” Noctis sighed.

“So, you, like… _never_ eat vegetables?”

“Not if I can avoid it. One of my friends tried to sneak some into my food for years, but he’s given up by now. Why are you looking at me like I’ve got two heads or something?” Noctis asked, half-smiling, half-frowning.

“Sorry,” Prompto said, chuckling. “It’s… kind of unexpected, I guess? But cute. And unfair, too, because you can’t possibly have a healthy diet, and you look, well…” He finished with a vague gesture towards Noctis, feeling his cheeks heat up at what he had just said.

Noctis, of course, just smirked. “Yeah?”

“Oh don’t look so proud of yourself,” Prompto muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Right, I still have to be nice and earn that kiss,” Noctis chuckled.

“You’re still on that, hmm?” Prompto asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes and no,” Noctis trailed off. “Say, got any other ‘first date rules’ I should know about?”

Prompto laughed. “Well. To be fair, I think my main rule went out the window when I asked if you wanted to stay this morning.”

Noctis eyed him softly. “Do you regret it?”

“Nah,” Prompto said with a small smile, gazing out the window. “I’ve had a shitty year. I guess… I kinda needed it. Besides, maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, but I don’t think it’s ruined my chances with you, right?” he asked, looking back at Noctis expectantly.

“Guess not,” Noctis replied. He smiled gently at Prompto then reached out for his hand over the table. “It’s so weird, I…” Noctis whispered, absently staring at their joined hands, his thumb softly stroking Prompto’s knuckles.

“Hmm?”

“Nothing,” Noctis said, shaking his head slowly, then looking back at Prompto. “But, um… Just so you know, I’m not here just because I’m expecting a repeat of this morning,” he continued in a quiet voice, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks.

Prompto tried really hard not to smile too much before replying. “That’s… good to know. For the record, me neither,” he said, squeezing Noctis’ hand for a second. “I’d like to get to know you.”

“Me too,” Noctis said, and Prompto was positive his heart skipped a beat at the look in the other man’s eyes.

Prompto thought idly that he really shouldn’t be allowed to look at people like that - but then again, who was he to complain?

* * *

Of course Noctis was going to get his kiss. It had only been a game after all; they had already kissed enough times beforehand to make this kind of a silly reward. Still, as they had gone up the hotel elevator, holding hands and stealing glances at each other - they weren’t alone this time - the tension between them had risen again and Prompto couldn’t help but feel a little like a giddy teenager with his first crush.

Prompto got hit by a huge sense of déjà-vu when they eventually reached his door, but their earlier conversation had made him less anxious about all this. Maybe it was weird, maybe knowing that Noctis didn’t expect them to have sex right then shouldn’t make him so happy - but with his last relationship leaving him with the bitter taste of having most likely been used for months on end, it actually meant a lot to him.

So, when they stopped in front of his door, Noctis staring back at him expectantly with a smile that almost seemed shy, Prompto didn’t even hesitate for one second before cupping Noctis’ face and pulling him into a searing kiss.

As their kiss deepened, Prompto thought he heard a noise coming from Noctis’ throat that sounded very much like relief - or maybe it had come from him, he couldn’t really tell at this point. The only thing Prompto knew was how intoxicating kissing Noctis felt, how amazing Noctis’ arms felt around his waist, and how - _dammit_ \- he kinda didn’t want to stop.

They parted, however, maybe because they were both out of breath, or because they had remembered that they wanted this - whatever _this_ was - to be more than just a physical thing. Noctis’ cheeks were slightly red, and he was grinning; and Prompto was sure he must look pretty much the same - although probably redder, damn his pale complexion.

“Okay, I’m gonna get the wrong idea if you kiss me like that,” Noctis whispered, and they were still so close that Prompto could feel the other man’s breath on his lips.

“Sorry,” Prompto replied, then bit his lip slightly. “Guess I got carried away, huh?”

“Well, I’ll just assume that it means this was a good first date?”

“Eh, it was decent,” Prompto said, smirking, his fingers absently playing with the hair at the nape of Noctis’ neck.

“Hmm, guess I’ll need to up my game for the second date, then,” Noctis teased.

“So there’s gonna be a second date?” Prompto asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, I mean if you want to, of course,” Noctis said, leaning in close enough for their lips to brush.

A shiver went up and down Prompto’s spine as he forced himself not to close the distance. “Guess I could spare some time,” he whispered.

“Tomorrow?” Noctis asked quietly.

“Sure,” Prompto simply breathed, because really, the brush of their lips was too much and he had needed to kiss Noctis again like five sentences ago.

Prompto captured Noctis’ lips again, ignoring how he could _feel_ the other man smirk briefly into the kiss, before losing himself in the moment again. Part of him - well, _most_ of him - really wanted to ask Noctis to stay again, never mind that they wouldn’t do anything. Sure, he would be lying if he said that his body wasn’t reacting to their current actions, but he didn’t _need_ to act on it… Prompto honestly just wanted Noctis to be there. For some crazy reason, he felt good - _truly_ good - and somewhat relaxed in the other man’s presence; and really, Prompto also knew that the minute he ended up alone, he was going to start overthinking everything again.

He didn’t want to overthink. He wanted to keep talking with Noctis, to play King’s Knight with him again or watch a movie, to kiss him a few more times and then to fall asleep next to him.

_Gods,_ this was crazy, right? They had just met not even 24 hours ago, it was way too soon to think like that, right? This whole _“love at first sight”_ bullshit only happened in movies, right? Also, no, Prompto did not just think of the word “love”. No, no, no. No.

Their kiss broke once again, and Prompto saw the hesitation flicker in Noctis’ eyes.

“So…” Noctis breathed out.

“Yeah…” Prompto whispered, and he really wanted to say more, to actually ask Noctis to stay again, but his voice was stuck in his throat.

Fortunately, Noctis seemed to have been having the same thoughts. Though this fact didn’t help settle Prompto’s heart, which was beating furiously inside his chest.

“Um, so… I know we said- and I’m not going back on this, but…” Noctis started, obviously struggling, and somehow Prompto managed to finish his sentence in his place.

“Wanna watch a movie? And I mean, actually _watch_ it-” Prompto stammered quickly, feeling the heat rise to his face again, but then was rewarded with a heartfelt smile and a small nod from Noctis.

* * *

Later that night, after Prompto had quietly closed his laptop and put it on the bedside table, he couldn’t help but stare fondly at the man sleeping next to him. Noctis had actually fallen asleep on his shoulder not even halfway through the movie, and Prompto hadn’t had the heart to wake him up. At least they had gotten ready for bed before starting to watch, so Noctis hadn’t ended up sleeping in his jeans.

Prompto maneuvered the other man as gently as possible so that Noctis’ head would rest on an actual pillow instead of his shoulder - even if Prompto would definitely miss the warmth. Noctis shifted a bit in his sleep as he tried to find a new, comfortable position, and ended up draping one arm around Prompto’s waist, burying his face against his hip.

Alright, Prompto would have to move him a little when he lay down, but for now he couldn’t deny that he absolutely loved the million little backflips the butterflies in his stomach were doing. Before he could stop himself, one of his hands moved to stroke Noctis’ hair softly. When Noctis muttered something unintelligible and tightened his hold on Prompto’s waist, Prompto could have sworn his chest was going to explode.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down a little, then grabbed his phone from the bedside table. One hand still lost in Noctis’ hair, he sent a quick text to Cindy.

> _[Prompto] Cin, help, I really, *really* like him._

He wasn’t sure what he was hoping for - it way too early in the morning in Insomnia, after all, so unless Cindy’s plans had turned into an all-night party, she wasn’t going to reply anytime soon. But he just kinda needed to get this off of his chest.

Just as Prompto was going through one of his favorite photography blogs to try and relax, he saw the text notification appear. Alright, maybe she had pulled an all-nighter after all.

> _[Cindy] Go get him, loverboy!_

Right. Not helpful. His phone vibrated again.

> _[Cindy] And I want a photo!_

Prompto glanced down at Noctis’ sleeping face, and mentally slapped himself because, no, he was not going to snap a photo right now. Never mind how adorable Noctis looked, he was still asleep; it wouldn’t be right.

He did look adorable, though, Prompto thought idly, a warm feeling spreading through his chest, and all of this suddenly felt less terrifying than earlier. He quickly replied to Cindy that _“maybe later”_ , before going back to browsing through photos, barely realizing that his fingers were still threading through soft, dark hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) It was A LOT of fun to write - although I might have facepalmed a bunch of times at just how silly this was.  
> I'm still not sure how many chapters this will be, but it's safe to say that it's probably going to be at least 10. Yes. 10 chapters of those dorks flirting. What is my life. (I love it, though)
> 
> Don't hesitate to bother me on Tumblr [@yuneyn](http://yuneyn.tumblr.com/) and Twitter [@Yuneyn_](https://twitter.com/Yuneyn_/) \- I scream about Promptis a lot!!


	6. To feel for the first time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prompto sighed exaggeratedly. “Fine,” he said, holding the camera up so they could both see how the picture had turned out. The angle wasn’t too bad - at least both of their faces were in the frame. They were both flushed a little from their brief wrestling match, hair in disarray, smiling happily; and Prompto’s heart skipped a beat because this shot looked so intimate - and, no, not in that way; they were both still clothed, after all. It was more like a photo from what Prompto imagined his life to be like if they lived together, waking up next to each other every morning. Not that he had spent much time thinking about that. Not at all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The summary for this chapter could also be "excessive smooching" I guess. Not that it's a bad thing.  
> We learn a bit more about Noctis' personality here. This chapter also contains the silliest dorkiest lines I've ever written - I'm not sorry.
> 
> I cherish all of you guys comments and kudos, thank you so much for following this story and the amazing feedback! Have some more fluff :)

Prompto woke up to a still fairly dark room, so he figured it was probably still early. He could make out his phone lying next to his head on the mattress - he must have fallen asleep while using it; he had been pretty tired after all. Noctis was still pressed against his side, and Prompto smiled, wondering whether or not the guy moved at all while he slept.

He checked the time quickly: 6am. The sun would be rising soon, and Prompto toyed briefly with the idea of getting up to take a few photos from the window. He hadn’t really taken the time to check out the view until then, but he knew it was most likely breathtaking. Tenebrae was as much of a modern city as Insomnia was, but it was surrounded by mountains on one side and the sea on the other. Prompto’s window was facing west, towards the sea. While this was the wrong side to capture the sunrise, the view could still make for some beautiful shots.

Then again, Noctis was warm against him, his hair softly tickling Prompto’s neck and his arm a comforting weight across Prompto’s chest. Prompto exhaled softly as his brain tried to provide him with actual excuses for staying in bed: it was Sunday, after all, and he still had a lot of sleep to catch up on. He chuckled to himself as he shifted on the bed to lie on his side - who was he trying to fool anyway? His back against Noctis’ chest, Prompto reached for Noctis’ hand that was now on his waist and loosely laced their fingers together. He sighed happily and closed his eyes, the soft feel on Noctis’ breath against the back of his neck lulling him back to sleep.

The next time Prompto opened his eyes, the room was much brighter. He checked the time again and blinked a few times when he saw it was now 10:30am. Prompto definitely hadn’t expected to fall back asleep for that long. His new friend - _boyfriend? lover? dammit Prompto, don’t start_ \- was still completely dead to the world, and Prompto let himself enjoy the warm embrace a little longer.

He couldn’t repress his smile at the memories of their date the previous night. It had been a long time since Prompto had had this much fun, and the chemistry between them was undeniable - Noctis had to feel it too, right? He wouldn’t be here otherwise, right? Was it weird, though, to be this much into someone so soon that you’d want to spend every damn moment together?

_Alright, I said don’t start._

Prompto took a deep breath, and gently tore himself away from under Noctis’ arm; partly because he needed to do something to stop himself for overthinking things again, and partly because being pressed so close against Noctis was doing _things_ to his body and he wasn’t sure that his still sleepy self had much self-control. Not that he was completely against the idea of reenacting the events of their first encounter - and more - but he _did_ like the idea of getting to know each other first a lot too.

After splashing some cold water on his face, Prompto grabbed his camera and stepped towards the window. He opened the curtains just enough to look outside without risking waking Noctis up, and just as he had expected, the view was amazing. The sun was high enough now that the sea was shining underneath the bright blue sky. He’d have to remember to take at least a few shots of the sunset before leaving, but for now this would do.

He was checking the last picture when Noctis’ voice made him jump.

“What’re you doing?”

Turning around, Prompto saw that Noctis had rolled over and was now facing him, his face still half buried in his pillow.

“Taking a few photos,” Prompto replied. “Sorry, I didn’t think it would wake you.”

“The bed was cold,” Noctis lamented, making Prompto chuckle.

“Dude, that’s cheesy.”

“It’s true though,” Noctis said, groaning as he pushed himself up. “Show me?”

“I’ve only taken like three, and it would be better at sunset anyway…”

“Then show me some other ones. Unless you don’t want to?”

“No, no, I don’t mind,” Prompto said as he moved to sit on the bed next to Noctis and hand him his camera. “I just didn’t think you would be interested. It’s only what I’ve taken while I was here.”

“Well, I said I wanted to get to know you, didn’t I?” Noctis teased as he looked through Prompto’s photos of the buildings and landscapes in Tenebrae. “Those are good, Prom.”

“Thanks… I still need to transfer them to my computer and work on them, though, I haven’t had much time while I’ve been here.”

Noctis simply hummed as he browsed through the photos in Prompto’s camera. Prompto was staring at him expectantly, fidgeting a little.

“There’s just one problem,” Noctis said as he reached the last of the photos.

Prompto’s heart sank a little. “Huh?”

“There’s no photo of you.”

Prompto stared at Noctis with wide eyes for a few seconds, then snorted. “Again, that’s cheesy,” he said, swatting Noctis’ arm.

Noctis’ only reply was a smirk, as he lifted the camera and took a picture of Prompto.

“Hey!”

“What, I wanted a souvenir of your bed hair,” Noctis said innocently, checking the photo and showing it to Prompto.

“Like hell I’m gonna send it to you,” Prompto said, trying to grab his camera, but Noctis held it out of reach.

“You’ll need to get your camera back first,” Noctis teased.

There was a moment when they both just stared at each other, then Prompto launched himself at Noctis, straddling him and pushing him down onto the bed. Noctis tried to roll out of Prompto’s grasp but Prompto was faster, reaching out to take hold of Noctis’ wrist. There was a brief struggle as Prompto tried to get Noctis to loosen his grip on the camera, and he smirked as he felt Noctis’ other hand try to tickle his stomach.

“What?” Noctis mumbled when he got absolutely no reaction from Prompto. “Not fair.”

Prompto’s little victory remained short lived, though, as Noctis pulled Prompto closer so he could place kisses on his neck. Prompto outright groaned and let his head fall into the crook of Noctis’ neck, not releasing his hold on Noctis’ wrist.

 _"_ _You’re_ not fair,” Prompto grumbled against Noctis’ ear.

Noctis, that bastard, had the audacity to simply laugh at this - and of course Prompto started laughing as well, eventually rolling off of Noctis to lie at his side. Noctis lifted the camera above them, taking a selfie as they were still catching their breaths, before handing the camera back to Prompto.

“Here, now you have to send me that one since I’m in it too,” Noctis said.

Prompto sighed exaggeratedly. “Fine,” he said, holding the camera up so they could both see how the picture had turned out. The angle wasn’t too bad - at least both of their faces were in the frame. They were both flushed a little from their brief wrestling match, hair in disarray, smiling happily; and Prompto’s heart skipped a beat because this shot looked so _intimate_ \- and, no, not in _that_ way; they were both still clothed, after all. It was more like a photo from what Prompto imagined his life to be like if they lived together, waking up next to each other every morning. Not that he had spent much time thinking about that. Not at all.

“Not too bad. I’ll send it to you later,” Prompto said, hoping his voice wasn’t too emotional, then reached out to put the camera down on the bedside table. “So, what do you want to do today?” he asked, propping himself up on one elbow and looking at Noctis.

Noctis gave Prompto one of his smiles that made his stomach lurch, and slipped one hand behind Prompto’s neck to pull him in for a deep, slow kiss.

* * *

A few hours later, they had managed to entangle themselves from each other and take a shower before heading out to get some takeout - Noctis having talked Prompto into staying in and doing nothing all afternoon. Prompto might have liked to head out and explore the city some more, but to be fair, Noctis had made some _compelling_ arguments. Arguments that may or may not have influenced the temperature of Prompto’s shower - seriously, with how things were heating up between them, Prompto wondered if he might combust the moment they actually had sex.

Now back in Prompto’s room, they were half watching some random TV program while eating, food wrappers scattered all over the bed. Burgers and fries sure weren’t the healthiest thing to eat, but there was something comfortable about hanging out with Noctis and eating junk food like this.

“So this is how you spend your Sundays?” Prompto asked, before taking another bite of his burger.

“Not all the time, I can’t… But it’s nice to do nothing once in a while,” Noctis said, then looked at Prompto worriedly for a second. “You don’t like it.” It was not a question.

“No, no, it’s not that,” Prompto quickly reassured Noctis. “I mean, I don’t usually stay in for a whole day, true. I’m kind of an early riser; so, on weekends I often go running in the morning and depending on the weather I try to go for walks later. Staying home alone, it’s just… I guess I start thinking too much, and it’s a bit suffocating,” he admitted.

Noctis hummed pensively, staring at his food for a moment. He then raised his head to look at Prompto again, and smirked. “I have to get you to stop thinking, then.”

“Good luck with that,” Prompto laughed. “This brain never stops,” he continued, pointing at his head.

Noctis’ only reply was to kiss him, hard and slow at the same time, his hand pulling ever so slightly at Prompto’s hair. Prompto couldn’t help but moan and Noctis pulled back, that damned proud smile on his face.

“You’re way too sure of yourself, you know that?” Prompto asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Noctis chuckled. “Honestly? I’m really not,” he said, leaning back against the headboard. “I mean, I have to look like it for work and all, but… I don’t usually let myself go around other people.”

Once again, Prompto felt that Noctis was trying to say something while still keeping a lot to himself. “What do you mean?” he asked softly.

“Just that… I feel like I can be myself around you, you know? Like you’re not gonna judge me for making stupid jokes or just wanting to lie around and watch TV or play games?”

“Dude,” Prompto said, moving to sit closer to Noctis so that their shoulders bumped, “I probably make worse jokes than you do. And given how we met, I’d have to be a real ass to judge you for not being the perfect businessman - I assume that’s what you were worried about?”

“Yeah…” Noctis trailed off, then turned to look at Prompto. “So, if I were to come back at you by saying that you _do_ have a real nice ass though, that would be okay?” he asked with barely contained amusement.

Prompto’s mouth hung open and he shook his head in disbelief. “Okay- I take it back, _you_ tell the worst jokes,” he said, swatting Noctis’ arm.

Noctis laughed and swung one arm around Prompto’s shoulders, pulling him closer. “Seriously though,” he said, burying his face in Prompto’s hair, “thanks.”

Prompto felt his heart start beating a little faster and he let his head rest in the crook of Noctis’ neck. “It’s okay,” he whispered, “I won’t tell anyone that you’re a dork.” He heard Noctis chuckle above him, and the next thing he knew Noctis had shifted and was kissing him again.

Noctis’ hand was cupping his jaw, and Prompto felt himself being pushed back against the headboard as Noctis moved to straddle his thighs. Prompto’s hands instinctively settled on Noctis’ hips as he melted into the kiss, vaguely registering the rustling noise of food wrappers falling off the bed.

They were both a little breathless when they eventually parted. Noctis’ thumb gently brushed Prompto’s cheek as he pressed their foreheads together, and Prompto could see the other man was smiling.

“Trying to get me to stop thinking again?” Prompto teased, his voice catching slightly.

Noctis pulled back a little, sitting on Prompto’s thighs. “I still don’t want to have sex, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Prompto eyed him weirdly. “Wow, way to make a guy feel wanted,” he said, half-teasing, half-hurt.

“No- _shit,_ ” Noctis said quickly. He then briefly closed his eyes and shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. I just- I mean, that is not the reason why I suggested we’d stay in today.” Prompto was still looking at him expectantly, so Noctis cupped his face and kissed him again. “I do want to, though- _fuck,_ I really do, and- that’s the thing, because I usually don’t…” he whispered against Prompto’s lips.

“Eh?” Prompto uttered, confused. He tried to back away a little to look at Noctis but the back of his head was already pushing against the headboard.

Noctis chuckled and moved off of Prompto to lie down next to him, one arm covering his face. “I know, it sounds weird, right?”

“I just… I’m just not sure what you mean,” Prompto said quietly.

Noctis sighed deeply. “I’ve dated around a bit, had a few relationships, but it never really lasted because… I guess I was never really into them. I was mostly just curious, you know? Everyone’s dating, everyone’s having sex, so I probably should too? But there was never any real attraction on my side, and… Well, let’s just say they weren’t exactly interested in who I really am, so that probably didn’t help.”

Prompto said nothing, but shifted so he would be lying on his side. He propped himself up on one elbow and reached out with his other hand to grab Noctis’ so he would remove his arm from his face. Their eyes met and Noctis smiled softly. “You confuse the hell out of me,” Noctis said.

“What?” Prompto laughed.

“I kinda had been wanting to kiss you back on the plane, after we started talking. That never happens,” Noctis explained, lacing their fingers together. “And we barely know each other, but I feel more comfortable around you than anyone else.”

Prompto swallowed; his heart was doing somersaults in his chest and he couldn’t help but grin widely. “It’s been kinda freaking me out a bit too… How it’s going so well so fast, you know?”

“Well then,” Noctis said, bringing Prompto’s hand to his mouth to kiss his knuckles, “Prompto- shit, what’s your last name?”

“Argentum,” Prompto chuckled.

“Prompto Argentum, will you be confused with me?” Noctis asked, his usual smirk returning.

Prompto rolled his eyes but laughed anyway. “Well, Noctis- uhh…”

“...Caelum,” Noctis said, hesitation flashing through his eyes for a second.

The name vaguely rang a bell in Prompto’s mind, but he didn’t really think about it - the sound of his heartbeat was way too distracting. “Noctis Caelum, I’ll be confused with you.” He leaned forward, stopping right before Noctis’ lips. “You big dork,” he added before kissing him.

Noctis laughed into the kiss and pulled back slightly. “Anyway,” he said quietly, “that’s why I… I don’t know, I just don’t want to mess things up, so I don’t want you to think it’s just a physical thing.”

Prompto beamed at him. “You know what, in fact, that is probably the hottest thing you could have said to me right now.”

“Oh?”

“Let’s just say…” Prompto trailed off, looking away for a moment. “I’ve been with someone who didn’t think like you. Guy was only interested in one thing... It’s not the best for your self-esteem.”

“I’m sorry,” Noctis said softly.

Prompto looked back at him with a smile that was maybe half-forced. “It’s fine. I mean, sure, I’ve had some bad relationships, but… you learn from those experiences, you know?”

“Still,” Noctis said, lifting his head to place a brief kiss on Prompto’s lips. “You seem too good to be treated like that.”

Prompto chuckled and kissed Noctis back. “You barely know me, you might change your mind,” he said between kisses.

“I seriously doubt it,” Noctis retorted against Prompto’s lips.

“You’re being hard to resist, though, you know that?” Prompto laughed.

“Well, so are you; I’m just playing fair.” Noctis teased. “What’s the socially accepted rule, anyway? Third date?”

“Ugh, sexual politics are too complicated,” Prompto lamented, rolling his eyes. “Maybe we should have counted yesterday’s lunch as a date?” he teased, kissing Noctis once more.

“Nah,” Noctis breathed as they separated, then rolled them over so Prompto was now on his back. “It’s more fun like this, don’t you think,” he whispered in Prompto’s ear before placing another trail of kisses along his neck.

Prompto’s nails dug into Noctis’ waist through his t-shirt. _“Fuck you,”_  he groaned, his eyes falling closed.

“Later,” Noctis answered with a chuckle.

* * *

Prompto couldn’t say if they had been making out for hours or mere seconds when his phone started ringing, forcing him to focus on reality again.

“Leave it,” Noctis said breathlessly against his mouth and Prompto really didn’t have the heart to protest, not with Noctis’ lips on his own and Noctis’ hands under his t-shirt.

Whoever was calling, though, didn’t seem like they wanted to be ignored. Prompto let it go to voicemail twice, but the third time it rang, he got genuinely concerned. “Wait,” he said, pushing Noctis back a little, “let me see who it is.”

Noctis groaned exaggeratedly but rolled off of Prompto to let him reach for his phone on the nightstand. Prompto immediately winced at the name appearing on the screen.

“Fuck, it’s Dino- it’s probably stupid, but if I don’t take it it’ll just be worse, sorry,” Prompto apologized.

“Sure,” Noctis said, shrugging, but Prompto wasn’t sure he liked the mischievousness he saw flash through Noctis’ eyes.

Prompto sat on the edge of the bed, his feet on the floor, and answered the call. “Hey, Dino.”

 _“You always take so long to answer,”_ Dino lamented, and Prompto took a deep breath to will himself not to snap back.

“I was on silent mode,” he said flatly. “What’s up?”

 _“I don’t know if you checked the news, but it looks like the airports aren’t gonna open tomorrow,”_ Prompto heard Dino said, but he had trouble focusing as Noctis had moved closer, pretty much wrapping himself around Prompto. _“So we’re probably going to be stuck here a while longer.”_

Prompto clutched the phone, trying to ignore how Noctis was nibbling his other ear. Being stuck here longer really didn’t sound so bad right now. “Oh, okay- Well, nothing we can do,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady as Noctis slipped his hands under his t-shirt, fingers tracing idle patterns on his stomach.

 _“Anyway, I called Aranea about it,”_ Dino continued, and Prompto would have smiled if he wasn’t otherwise distracted, because Aranea was the team manager here in Tenebrae and Prompto had caught her rolling her eyes at Dino a bunch of times. She probably hadn’t been too excited to get a call from him on a Sunday. _“She suggested we have dinner together tonight and talk about the situation.”_

“Wait, ton-ight?” Prompto almost cried out, partly because he really didn’t want to forsake his plans with Noctis, and partly because Noctis had started sucking on the skin at the nape of his neck. Prompto’s fingers dug into Noctis’ thigh as he tried to ground himself to continue talking. “I- I have plans tonight,” he said quickly, and Noctis actually stopped what he was doing when he heard this and leaned back a little.

 _“Well, cancel them, because we’re meeting with her at 7,”_ Dino replied coldly.

“But…” Prompto started, turning around to meet Noctis’ eyes. The other man mouthed _“it’s okay”_ and gave Prompto a reassuring smile.

 _“She made time for us, so you’re not gonna start being selfish, okay? I’ll text you the address, see you then.”_ There was a beep and Prompto realized that Dino had hung up without even giving him a chance to talk. Sure, it was nice of Aranea to meet with them and all, but Prompto was pretty sure that Dino must have annoyed her enough that she had agreed to dinner just so he would shut up. This was often the case with him, unfortunately - and because for some unknown reason, their boss loved Dino, there was not much anyone could do.

Sighing, Prompto gave Noctis an apologetic look. “Sorry… Apparently I have to have dinner with Dino and the local team manager…”

Noctis wrapped his arms around Prompto again, and Prompto let himself melt in the embrace, his head falling back to rest on Noctis’ shoulder. “Don’t worry about it,” Noctis said, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.

“I’ll talk to Aranea - the team manager - tomorrow. She’s cool, and she doesn’t seem to like Dino, so I’m sure I can arrange to be free tomorrow night… Since it seems like the airports aren’t opening yet,” Prompto said.

“Sounds good. Besides, I have an idea, and I doubt I could’ve pulled it off tonight…” Noctis trailed off, nuzzling Prompto’s jaw.

Prompto turned his head as much as he could to look back at Noctis. “Oh, really? I’m curious.”

“Surprise,” Noctis teased, before capturing Prompto’s lips once more.

* * *

Prompto’s eyes alternated between the keycard in his hand and the door in front of him and he tried to steady his breathing. He had finally made it back from his dinner, which had been somewhat bearable thanks to Aranea’s presence and the knowing side glances she would shoot at him whenever Dino said something excruciatingly annoying.

Then again, Prompto couldn’t possibly give a detailed report on what had been discussed during dinner. He had found his thoughts drifting towards a certain dark-haired man all too often - mainly because Dino had chosen a vegetarian restaurant, and Prompto couldn’t help but imagine what kind of face Noctis would have made if he had been there.

Finally, he had managed to escape Dino’s offer to get some drinks after Aranea had left and grabbed a cab to the hotel, had quickly grabbed his stuff from his room, and was now standing on the doorstep of Noctis’ room.

 _“Just come by when you’re back,”_ Noctis had said, handing Prompto his extra keycard. _“Even if I’m asleep, it’s fine.”_

 _“You know I’m gonna have to wake up at 7am tomorrow, right?”_ Prompto had laughed, taking the keycard anyway.

 _“Yeah, well, I’ll have to work from here too anyway… And I’d rather have you wake me up than my alarm,”_ Noctis had retorted.

Prompto shook his head to try and reorder his thoughts. Everything always seemed so simple when he was in Noctis’ presence - and while he was glad he hadn’t had another moment of panic when he had gone back to his own room earlier, Prompto still found it a little harder to breathe now that he was about to join Noctis.

_You can do this, Prompto._

Before his brain could come up with a crazy amount of thoughts about how it shouldn’t be possible for a guy that good-looking and apparently that nice to genuinely be into him, Prompto took a deep breath and swiped the card, opening the door.

The small light above the bed was on when Prompto stepped inside, but he soon saw that Noctis had indeed fallen asleep, his phone resting on his chest - he had expected this, though, Noctis having suddenly stopped texting as Prompto was in a cab back to the hotel.

Smiling at how peaceful Noctis looked when he slept, Prompto quietly went to retrieve the other man’s phone and placed it on the nightstand. He then quickly brushed his teeth and slipped into his pajamas before joining Noctis under the covers.

Rolling onto his side, Prompto studied Noctis’ sleeping face for a while, feeling himself relax in the warmth of the bed and the proximity of the other man. He gently brushed a few strands of hair from Noctis’ forehead and smiled at the way the other man’s face scrunched up a little, then reached out to turn off the lights. Shifting a big closer, Prompto placed a soft kiss on Noctis’ shoulder and grabbed the hand that was in between them before closing his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please take a look at [@layann](http://layann.tumblr.com/)'s amazing and adorable [artwork of the selfie scene](http://layann.tumblr.com/post/167729650601/a-scene-from-yuneyns-promptis-story-something)!! It is super sweet and I'm so honored and grateful that this fic inspired art, I'm just - wow. (I seem to have lost my ability to form sentences too)
> 
> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed all the kissing ;) Don't worry, they'll get to the sexy times eventually. (To be completely honest, the choice to have them wait was partly because deep down I might be a hopeless romantic, and also I couldn't see myself writing smut scenes in every damn chapter - I'd rather write a few meaningful ones)
> 
> I know some of you are getting curious about Noctis' background - everything will be revealed next chapter. It's nothing big, though, but it explains the vague things he says about himself. Aranea is also going to actually appear in the fic!
> 
> Don't hesitate to bother me on Tumblr [@yuneyn](http://yuneyn.tumblr.com/) and Twitter [@Yuneyn_](https://twitter.com/Yuneyn_/)


	7. I just want you to know who I am

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _So, here he was, having no idea what ‘here’ exactly was, and feeling suddenly very small. At least coming right after work made sure he was dressed appropriately - a dark blue suit with a pale blue shirt - but neither did really hug his frame well, and he also wasn’t wearing a tie. For some reason, it seemed like the kind of place where a tie would be needed._
> 
> _Prompto’s musings were interrupted as Noctis stepped out of the building. “Ah, there you are,” he said with a warm smile. Well, at least he wasn’t wearing a tie either. Though he did look positively stunning in his dark suit, and Prompto had to swallow hard again to stop himself for outright whimpering, because, seriously, what the hell?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I guess it's about time we learn about Noctis' background, right?  
> (Though, I mean, technically they've known each other for like 3 days~ well, this thing has never been a slow burn anyway^^)
> 
> Thank you again for all the kudos and comments, they always make my day!! <3 I hope you guys will like this chapter - there's less smooching, but their relationship does grow. And there's Aranea, yay!

Prompto sighed, staring at the last email he had received - the booking confirmation for tomorrow’s flight. Honestly, with what the news was saying, it didn’t seem like there was much chance they’d be able to fly out the next day, but the company was intent on taking things one day at a time. Besides, that wasn’t even the most illogical thing, at least from Prompto’s point of view. The fact that the Lucis branch was taking care of the plane tickets, but the Tenebrae branch was taking care of their hotels now that the two nights paid by the airline had passed, was beyond him.

 _Ugh_ _,_ he really hated corporate politics. Nothing could ever be simple. And with the increasing number of people unable to go home, free hotel rooms were becoming a rare thing… Prompto just hoped they’d manage to book something for him.

To be fair, he could probably stay with Noctis - when Prompto had asked him what he was going to do about his room, the guy had just shrugged, so Prompto assumed this wasn’t really a big deal for him. He just wasn’t sure that his company would accept that kind of arrangement, though.

Not that he wouldn’t end up staying with Noctis anyway, with how things were going.

Lost in thought, Prompto jumped at the sound of Aranea’s voice. “Nice dreams, Argentum?” she teased.

“Huh?”

“You were smiling way too much for someone who’s either working on getting out of here or on that software you guys have installed for us,” Aranea continued, leaning sideways against Prompto’s deck. “By the way, we got you one more night at your hotel.”

“Thanks, and- sorry, I was a bit distracted,” Prompto said with a small smile, his eyes darting to the side.

“Right. Distracted. Like you were yesterday evening?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Prompto choked. “That- that obvious, huh?” he conceded, rubbing the back of his neck.

She rolled her eyes. “Please, I wasn’t born yesterday. You really didn’t want to be there - and while I can understand not wanting to spend your Sunday night with Dino, I like to think I’m better company.” When Prompto’s head shot to the side at the mention of Dino, Aranea bumped his shoulder. “He’s in the bathroom, I’m also not stupid.”

“Right- of course, sorry,” Prompto stammered, shaking his head. He just really didn’t want to give Dino more ammo against him.

“So, who’s the lucky person?” Aranea smirked.

“Um… Well, you know how I tried to take a plane out to Galdin Quay on Friday night, right?”

“I seem to remember Dino congratulating himself extensively for not following your stupid idea, yeah.”

Prompto sighed. That idiot had done that last night. “Anyway… It wasn’t such a stupid idea seeing as I met a guy on that plane...” Prompto trailed off, unable to stop himself from smiling.

“Alright, I think that dopey smile on your face says it all,” Aranea said.

“Don’t tell Dino, please,” Prompto said. “Just… We do have plans tonight, and I know Dino is going to want to have another ‘team building dinner’ or whatever…” Prompto only hoped his puppy eyes would work on Aranea. Or that she’d just want to avoid spending every night with their annoying colleague.

She stared at Prompto for a moment, studying him, then gave a small eye roll before smirking again. “Unfortunately, I seem to be busy every night this week. That’s really too bad.”

“Isn’t it?” Prompto gave her a knowing grin in response.

“What are you guys talking about?” Dino’s voice made Prompto jump.

“I was just telling Prompto here that I likely won’t be able to have dinner with you guys this week. Sorry,” Aranea said, and Prompto noticed that she had slipped back into ‘office mode’, her smile more polite than honest. It was nice, though, to see that people sometimes were more relaxed around him. Maybe because he was still young and had not yet been formatted by the corporate world? Or maybe it was because he wasn’t an obnoxious jerk, like _some_ _people._

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Dino lamented. “I guess it’s just you and me then,” he told Prompto, who jumped again.

“Actually, um… I’m sorry, but I have plans too. Remember how I told you I had met an old friend? I already cancelled last night, so…” Prompto said quickly.

Dino’s gaze switched between Aranea and Prompto for a few moments, and Prompto’s stomach sank as he realized what Dino must be thinking. Fortunately, Aranea broke what was starting to be an uncomfortable silence. Unfortunately, it meant Prompto was going to be left alone with Dino. “Anyway, I have work to do. I’ll come and get you if we need you,” she said very matter-of-factly, before strolling away.

Prompto could feel Dino’s eyes burn into him so he focused really hard on his screen. “I’m gonna check the processes again,” Prompto said, hoping that Dino would leave him alone.

“Right,” Dino said, sitting down at his desk. Prompto thought he heard him mutter “unbelievable,” and he kinda wished the ground would swallow him. He eventually noticed the blinking window on his screen from the company’s instant messaging software.

> _[Aranea Highwind] Oops._
> 
> _[Prompto Argentum] It’s not funny :(_
> 
> _[Aranea Highwind] I think it is. Especially since I don’t have to sit next to him._
> 
> _[Prompto Argentum] Would telling you that you’re the devil be very inappropriate?_
> 
> _[Aranea Highwind] I’ll take that as a compliment. Now back to work, shortcake._

Prompto rolled his eyes and sighed. Well. At least he was going to see Noctis tonight. He was actually getting quite curious about their date; Noctis had only told Prompto he’d text him the address so he could go there straight from work, and also said to bring his camera, all the while looking half proud of himself - half nervous.

Biting his lip, Prompto fought the urge to check his phone again for the fifteenth time in the past hour and tried to focus on his work. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

It was a little after 7pm when Prompto stepped out of the cab in front of what must have been one of the tallest, classiest buildings in Tenebrae. He swallowed hard as he looked up - whatever was in that tower had to be _way_ more fancy than what Prompto had imagined, and he was starting to feel a little on edge. He would probably have checked the address earlier during work if Dino hadn’t spent most of his time glancing over his shoulder. Given that his annoying colleague probably thought something was going on between Aranea and him, checking out a fancy restaurant’s website wouldn’t have been the best idea.

So, here he was, having no idea what ‘here’ exactly was, and feeling suddenly very small. At least coming right after work made sure he was dressed appropriately - a dark blue suit with a pale blue shirt - but neither did really hug his frame well, and he also wasn’t wearing a tie. For some reason, it seemed like the kind of place where a tie would be needed.

Prompto’s musings were interrupted as Noctis stepped out of the building. “Ah, there you are,” he said with a warm smile. Well, at least he wasn’t wearing a tie either. Though he did look positively stunning in his dark suit, and Prompto had to swallow hard again to stop himself for outright whimpering, because, seriously, what the hell?

“I… um… Noct, what is this place?” Prompto asked, fidgeting a little. “I mean, when you said you’d up your game for the second date I didn’t think…”

Noctis looked a little embarrassed. “Yeah, I know, it’s not really the kind of place I had in mind at first but... There is _something_ here that I’m sure you’ll like, so… Bear with me?” He stepped closer and took Prompto’s hand, squeezing it gently.

Prompto gave him a small, uneasy smile. “I’m just… I’m not sure I…” He couldn’t finish, though, because Noctis had placed a soft kiss on his lips.

“You’ll be fine. I’m here, okay? Trust me, you’ll love it,” Noctis said quietly, and somehow Prompto really wanted to believe him.

“Alright,” he breathed, and squeezed Noctis’ hand back. “Alright. Lead the way.”

Noctis beamed at him and released his hand to place it on the small of his back, guiding him inside.

The ride up the elevator seemed to be taking forever. Prompto had obviously noticed that both the man stationed at the entrance of the ostentatious marble hall and the elevator operator had greeted Noctis as ‘Mr. Caelum’ and himself as ‘Sir’ and Prompto was starting to think that maybe Noctis’ place in _‘that world’_ was important than what he had initially thought. Maybe he should have looked him up online after he had learned his name… If he hadn’t been so distracted by daydreaming…

When they eventually arrived on the top floor, though, Prompto barely registered yet another person greeting Noctis by name, nor the fact that this looked like the fanciest restaurant ever. No, what struck Prompto immediately was that all the walls were made of glass, offering a stunning 360° view over Tenebrae - and that the waiter was leading them towards a small booth located against one of the windows, and incidentally offering the best view Prompto could ever have imagined.

The sun was setting over the sea, casting orange and pink light in the sky. The angle was good enough that they could also see the beginning of the mountain range, also bathed in colored light. Between the mountains and the sea, the buildings were starting to light up as the sun was going down. It was perfect.

Prompto didn’t notice he was still standing until he felt Noctis’ hand on his shoulder. “Told you you’d like it,” he said, and Prompto could feel his warm breath against neck, sending shivers throughout his whole body.

“Noct, this is… Thanks,” he said, turning to Noctis with a huge smile on his face.

“Don’t mention it,” Noctis said, smiling in return. “Now sit, and take as many photos as you want.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Prompto laughed, settling his bag on the booth and taking out his camera. He fumbled a little to find the perfect angle so as to avoid the glare of the window, and took a few shots. “I’ll take more as the light fades,” he said, “I want to capture the view under different lightings.”

When he turned back to Noctis, the fond way the other man was gazing at him made his heart swell. He saw Noctis open his mouth to speak, but another waiter had arrived, carrying a bottle of champagne.

“Compliments of the house, Mr Caelum, sir,” the waiter said, turning to Noctis, then to Prompto, who was staring at Noctis with wide eyes as the waiter poured them glasses.

Alright, Noctis definitely looked embarrassed. “Sorry,” he muttered. “Try to ignore all the fancy stuff… I really just wanted to show you the view.”

“Dude, just… Who are you?” Prompto asked, because really, Prompto felt like he was missing some piece of information here.

Noctis sighed but gave Prompto a small smile. “I take it you don’t read economy magazines in your free time?”

Prompto snorted. “Yeah, right, why would I ever want to do that?”

Noctis laughed a little, and seemed to relax for a second. “Right, no argument here,” he said. Then his features closed up a little as he nervously took his phone out of his pocket and quickly typed something on it before handing it to Prompto. “Here. This article came out about two months ago… It’ll explain a lot. Just… Please remember what I told you these past few days?”

Prompto was a bit scared by this, but he tried to smile as he took Noctis’ phone, because Noctis looked positively _worried._ Frowning, he looked down to see that Noctis had loaded an article from some probably famous economy magazine - not that Prompto would know, but he had heard Dino mention it at times, because obviously Dino would read this kind of boring stuff.

He had not, however, expected to see a picture of Noctis next to the words _‘The top 10 most eligible bachelors in Eos.’_

Prompto managed not to gasp in surprise, but still couldn’t help the way his eyes grew twice their size as he quickly read through the part about Noctis. _Of course,_ he thought briefly. He knew now why the name Caelum sounded vaguely familiar: Noctis’ dad was only the CEO of Insomnia’s biggest company - _Kingsglaive_. And sure, Prompto wasn’t really interested in the company - if anything, he mainly thought the name sounded pretentious - but they were big enough that he must have heard about Regis Caelum on TV or something.

So, apparently Noctis was following in his father’s footsteps - he had a business degree from Insomnia’s most prestigious university, and was now interning at his father’s company and being groomed to succeed him eventually. As he kept reading, Prompto realized that Dino had actually been gushing about this article a while ago, mentioning how he would _love_ to marry someone as rich and successful as _this guy_ or whoever was number 2 in the ranking - some girl from Tenebrae named Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, Prompto found out after scrolling a bit further. Evidently, Prompto must have tuned out as soon as Dino had started talking back then.

Prompto’s gaze flickered to Noctis, who looked even more worried than before. Prompto could only guess his surprise was written all over his face - and, to be perfectly honest, he wasn’t really sure how to react at all. Simply having met Noctis, someone who was not only extremely hot, but also seemed genuinely nice and to actually like him was already a lot to take in. Sure, it wasn’t as if Noctis were a rock star or anything, but _still,_ Prompto wasn’t sure he belonged in Noctis’ world at all.

_Please remember what I told you these past few days._

It all made sense, though. Everything Noctis had told him, about how Prompto was different, how Noctis could be himself around him, how people usually weren’t interested in who he really was. Prompto could only guess what kind of people Noctis had dated in the past, and why he had remained vague about his background until now.

Rich CEO’s son or not, though, Prompto couldn’t remember ever connecting with someone like he had with Noctis. His status couldn’t matter less to Prompto, to be honest. What mattered to him was how Noctis had cared for him, how much fun they had had, how promising whatever was going on between them was.

Sure, they probably would have to talk about how Prompto would likely _die_ if Noctis brought him to whatever fancy party people in _his world_ probably had - some TV show he had watched back in college about a group of high-society teens came to mind - but for now, Noctis probably needed to know that Prompto was, most surprisingly, not freaking out that much. Which was kind of weird, actually.

The thing was, the guy described in the article was so far from the guy he had been spending his time with over the last few days. And Prompto _liked_ that guy; and _fuck,_ maybe this was insane, maybe Noctis was definitely way out of his league and everything would crash down once Noctis eventually realized that Prompto really didn’t belong in his world… But Prompto realized that he actually wanted to risk it.

“Alright, two things,” Prompto said, looking at Noctis with a small smile. “First, I could take a much more flattering picture of you.” Noctis’ features visibly relaxed, and Prompto’s smile became a smirk. “Second, I find this article really lacking. No mention of your passion for King’s Knight and other video games? So boring,” he said, handing Noctis back his phone.

Noctis put his phone back in his pocket and let out a relieved laugh. “Thanks,” he breathed, finally smiling.

“Oh, and just so you know, Dino wants to marry you - or that girl after you in the article,” Prompto teased.

“Who, Luna?” Noctis laughed. “Good luck to him. She’s a childhood friend, and she’s much stronger than she looks. She’d definitely kick his ass - unless her lunatic brother does it first.”

“You know this just makes me want to introduce them, right?” Prompto chuckled.

Noctis grinned and leaned over the table to take Prompto’s hands in his own. “So,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Sorry I didn’t tell you before. I mean, I kinda figured you didn’t know, and it’s not like I’m famous or anything, just…”

“You’re rich. And famous in certain circles, if I’m understanding right. But don’t worry, I get it… I guess you must attract a lot of people like a certain colleague of mine.”

“Yeah… Wait, though, how do you know he knows about me?” Noctis asked, tilting his head.

“Oh, I just remembered he was reading the same article a while ago. Evidently, I pay a lot of attention when he talks…” Prompto trailed off.

“Evidently,” Noctis chuckled, then became serious again. “Anyway, I… Does it change things?”

“Well, technically, _things_ have only just started,” Prompto said. “And true, it does freak me out a little, and we’ll probably have to really talk about this eventually, but… For now I just want to keep getting to know the Noctis who makes the worst jokes ever,” he continued, punctuating his words with a brief squeeze of Noctis’ hands. When he saw Noctis looking back at him with something like awe in his eyes, he felt himself blush furiously and tried to brush it off with a joke. “What, thought I’d turn into a gold digger or something?”

Noctis laughed softly. “I didn’t really get that vibe from you, to be honest. No, I guess… I was scared I’d become everything you hate or something.”

Prompto huffed. “Okay, maybe I don’t like my job and I definitely feel like I don’t belong in the corporate world, but hate is a strong word… Although… _Please_ don’t talk to me about economics or politics or anything horrible like that,” he pleaded.

“That…” Noctis started, his smile turning into a smirk, “is the hottest thing you could have said to me.”

“Well, unfortunately for you, this is only the second date,” Prompto teased, raising an eyebrow.

Noctis was about to reply when the waiter came by again to inquire about their order - which was when Prompto realized they hadn’t spared a glance at the menu yet. He opened his as Noctis was telling the waiter to give them a few more minutes, kinda scared to see what kind of prices were practiced here - until he realized there were no prices.

“Noct, um… How much is the food here?” he asked, a bit uncomfortable.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Noct,” Prompto said, a bit more firmly.

“Okay, I know, I’m sorry…” Noctis said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “I told you, this is not the kind of place I had in mind but…” Noctis continued, gesturing to the window. “And I guess coming here was a way of forcing me to tell you about myself…”

Prompto smiled. Noctis just looked so adorable when he was embarrassed. “I mean, I’m not _complaining,_ but- I guess this is all new and unexpected and… I don’t really know how to handle it. We’ll just have to talk about it, draw some lines...”

“We will, I promise,” Noctis said with a smile. “For now, just… Enjoy? The food’s actually pretty good.”

“Well, I should hope so,” Prompto chuckled.

“Also, didn’t you say you wanted to take more photos?”

“Dammit-” Prompto said, grabbing his camera and turning towards the window once more. At least the sun hadn’t disappeared below the horizon yet. “You’re way too distracting, you know that?” he shot back, glancing at Noctis over his shoulder.

Noctis laughed at this, and he looked so beautiful all relaxed and happy that Prompto almost forgot to take more photos of the sunset.

* * *

They talked some more during dinner and on their way back to the hotel, though Prompto suspected that he definitely hadn’t grasped yet what dating Noctis exactly entailed. He could only guess that it would come with time, depending on whether or not this became a serious relationship. Well, at least Noctis _did_ seem serious about this… right?

Ugh, if Prompto could just stop with the overthinking already.

In any case, he had made it clear that he didn’t want to abuse Noctis’ status; and that while super fancy dates in five-star restaurants were _not_ the worst thing in the world, they shouldn’t happen too often either. This sounded almost stupid, but Prompto knew that this was the kind of thing that could drive a wedge between them if Prompto ended up feeling like he could never measure up to Noctis.

“I’m not going to end up in some celebrity gossip magazine or something after tonight, right?” Prompto asked as he stepped out of the bathroom after having brushed his teeth. He had checked into his new room as a formality for his company, but he didn’t even bother going there and had followed Noctis straight to his room.

“Where did that come from?” Noctis chuckled from his spot on the bed.

“Well, everyone seemed to know you at the restaurant, and we were kind of obviously on a date,” Prompto said pensively, leaning against the wall.

Noctis shifted and crawled on top of the bed to grab one of Prompto’s hands. Prompto let himself be pulled down in Noctis’ arms, sitting sideways on the edge of the bed. “Sorry to disappoint you, but my personal life isn’t _that_ interesting to the media. That stupid article is the only exception,” Noctis whispered against Prompto’s ear.

“Good,” Prompto breathed, leaning into the warmth of Noctis’ embrace. Maybe it was because he was tired, maybe all this new information was finally getting to his head, but Prompto was suddenly feeling very self-conscious. “Hey, Noct?”

“Hmm?”

“So, you’re, like- the most eligible bachelor in Eos or something, right?” Prompto mumbled, burying his head in Noctis’ neck.

“You’re only realizing now?” Noctis laughed nervously.

Prompto chuckled weakly in response. “No. Not really, but- I mean… Is it really okay for you to date a loser like me?”

Noctis froze for a second before gently pushing Prompto back a little, holding him tightly by the shoulders. “Prom, look at me,” Noctis said softly, but his tone was serious enough for Prompto to actually meet his gaze. “Anyone calls you that, I’ll kick their ass. And that includes you.”

Prompto gave Noctis a faint smile. “You’re always threatening to kick people’s asses, you know?”

“Don’t change the subject,” Noctis countered. “You’re not a loser, okay?”

“You still barely know me.”

“I’m an excellent judge of character,” Noctis said with a gentle smile, his hand brushing a few strands of hair from Prompto’s face. “Seriously though, who cares that we were born in different social circles? That just doesn’t matter. And I know it’s all new, but I like being with you. People… they look at me and only see, I don’t know, some hot, dateable son of a high-achieving businessman,” he continued, frowning at the last few words as if they were personally offending to him; then his features softened again. “But, you… You make me feel like I’m more than that. So, please, don’t start thinking that you’re not good enough, okay?”

Noctis’ eyes were piercing; Prompto could swear they were boring straight into his soul, and coupled with the incredibly fond way Noctis had just spoken - it was just too much, and he had to blink back the tears that were threatening to escape his eyes. He swallowed hard, then managed to actually smile, a small, breathy chuckle escaping his lips as he did. “Okay,” Prompto whispered. “But, just so you know, it might take me a while to really believe it.”

“Let me help you with that,” Noctis said quietly, pulling Prompto closer until their foreheads were resting against each other’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I wonder how much it shows that I love Noctis a lot? *cough* And also Prompto. He deserves the best. Which happens to be Noctis. IT'S NOT MY FAULT OK.
> 
> Anyway. I hope you guys liked this chapter! Like I said, this was never going to be a big reveal or anything - but, well, Noctis *is* a prince in canon, it makes sense that he'd be someone relatively important. But this is a happy fic, so it won't impact their relationship ;) This will, however, make for something interesting a little later on (hopefully).
> 
> (Also, Prompto totally watched Gossip Girl when in college~)
> 
> Thanks for reading! We're getting closer to the sexy times, by the way ;)  
> Don't hesitate to bother me on Tumblr [@yuneyn](http://yuneyn.tumblr.com/) and Twitter [@Yuneyn_](https://twitter.com/Yuneyn_/)


	8. Something I can turn to

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prompto barely registered that the call had ended. He was sitting on the stairs, still clutching his phone against his ear and grinning madly. Actually, he was this close to hugging his phone and giggling like a blushing teenager._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guys see the amazing [artwork of the selfie scene](http://layann.tumblr.com/post/167729650601/a-scene-from-yuneyns-promptis-story-something) in chapter 6 by [@layann](http://layann.tumblr.com/)? Because you need to see it, it's adorable!!
> 
> Anyway~ in this new chapter, life tries to create a bad situation for Prompto... but Noctis doesn't let it ;)  
> I also want to apologize to game!Dino, I have nothing against him, but... Let's just say this chapter was a little cathartic for me. It had to be done. Also gave me an excuse for more dorks in love and more Aranea!
> 
> Thanks so much for all the comments, kudos, messages, everything!! I'm over the moon with all the love this story is getting <3

Eyes unfocused, Prompto let a soft, dreamy sigh escape his lips as his head rested in one of his hands. He seemed to be staring at yet another booking confirmation, but his thoughts were still on the previous night, the way Noctis had held him close, rubbing small circles on his back as Prompto had fallen asleep. There had been no passionate kisses, no intense make-out session, nothing like the other days - and Prompto didn’t give a damn because the amount of _care_ in Noctis’ eyes, words, and gestures was absolutely _everything._

How did this even happen? How did Prompto end up with someone like Noctis? Incredibly hot, genuinely nice, sweet, cute, funny - and also happening to be the heir to, like, the most important company in Lucis… Not that it _mattered,_ but it was like the guy could never stop being perfect. And he seemed to really like Prompto.

_Really_ like him. Prompto. For real. How?

If Prompto had thought his luck might be turning around after he had met Noctis on the plane, it was now reaching _‘is this real life or am I dreaming?’_ levels of unbelievable luck. Alright, sure, the fact that Noctis was, well, technically someone _important_ did terrify Prompto quite a bit; and he figured that if their relationship did grow serious it would prove challenging at times. But still. Trying to fly out to Galdin Quay? Best idea ever, never mind what Dino had to say about it.

The blinking window from the IM software brought Prompto back to reality. They were still waiting to know about their hotel arrangements. There had been an announcement that airports would reopen the next day, so they had a solid booking for Thursday’s evening flight; but still, it meant they had to secure two more hotel nights.

> _[Aranea Highwind] Do you have to be smiling like that? You’re going to hate me now._
> 
> _[Prompto Argentum] ??_
> 
> _[Aranea Highwind] HR just called. I wanted to tell you before coming over to your desk, but they could only secure Dino’s room. They called the other hotels we have agreements with, but there’s nothing available…_
> 
> _[Prompto Argentum] Wait- what does it mean? Because, I mean, I could just stay with… you know._
> 
> _[Aranea Highwind] I know - but that’d go against company policy. They have to know you’re registered somewhere… Which I agree is stupid because you could spend the whole night out and no one would know, but I don’t make the rules. And since there’s only one room available, with twin beds, they said you’ll need to share it._

Prompto could swear he heard the sound of breaking glass as the whole world shattered around him. Sharing a room. With Dino. For two nights. If it were anyone else, he could probably escape, or at least go have dinner somewhere else, but this guy thrived on making Prompto’s life impossible. If they shared a room, Prompto knew he would be stuck with that idiot all the time.

Unbelievable luck, was it? Apparently Prompto had exceeded his luck limit for the week. 

> _[Prompto Argentum] Isn’t there anything else I could do? I could find a hotel for myself, I could go anywhere and send you the paperwork, that way I’d be registered somewhere, I don’t care if I have to pay._
> 
> _[Aranea Highwind] You know that’s not possible. It was okay when it was the airline because it was an emergency situation, but now the company has taken over again. I’m sorry, but it’s only 2 nights. It sucks, but I’m sure you can survive._

Prompto wanted to reply that it was unlikely, but saw Aranea move from her desk and walk towards them. It was like his brain was surrounded by a thick fog, and Prompto barely registered Aranea explaining the situation out loud, or Dino acting like a hypocrite and saying something about how that could make for a fun sleepover. His thoughts were focused on Noctis, and how they were probably not going to meet again before going back to Insomnia - or on the plane if they were lucky. And while normally Prompto would find it fun to imagine Dino’s face at seeing him and Noctis together, right now he just didn’t have it in him.

“You could look happier, you know,” Prompto heard Dino say, and realized Aranea had already left.

“Sorry,” Prompto replied, forcing a smile. “Just had something on my mind.”

“You don’t snore, do you?”

“What?”

“If I have to let you sleep in my room, I just want to know that you’re not going to bother me.”

Alright, that was Prompto’s chance to escape, right? Otherwise he might very well end up strangling Dino in his sleep.

“You know, this is just for the company, right? I could stay with that friend I told you about, we have dinner plans anyway… I don’t want to be in your way,” Prompto said in the most innocent and humble voice he could manage.

Dino’s gaze hardened. “Think I haven’t guessed who your ‘friend’ is? What with you and Aranea suddenly being busy?”

Prompto had to bite his tongue to stay calm. “Seriously? Man, when you called me on Sunday you had already planned on meeting her, and I had plans of my own, so it was obviously not with her. I’m just trying to make it easier for you.”

“No, you’re just trying to have your way. Just like when you took that plane the other day. I’m tired of you acting like a princess. I’m technically your superior, so you’ll stay with me and listen to me.”

“Do you need to talk to me like that all the time?” Prompto almost snapped, but managed to keep his voice level. He was boiling inside, though - that guy was in no way his superior, he just happened to be older and thus more experienced. And even if he were, that would not give him the right to act like an asshole.

And, fuck, Prompto wasn’t a kid and this wasn’t a school field trip; that guy had absolutely no right to tell him what he could do and who he could or couldn’t see.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m trying to be nice, but you always make things complicated,” Dino said flatly, turning to look at his computer.

Prompto clenched his jaw to stop himself from screaming. He was not one to get angry; that usually led nowhere, especially with people like Dino. But _Gods,_ was this guy pushing Prompto’s limits. He idly wondered whether or not he had grounds to file for harassment, but then again, Dino only harassed him when no one else could hear. And his boss loved Dino. Because of course that guy excelled at pretending to be perfect with the higher ups.

He could also just _not_ go with Dino and not care - but that would just probably come back to bite him in the ass afterwards.

He’d just have to bear with it. He could do it. It was only two nights; he’d call Noctis to explain and they’ll just have to have their next date back in Insomnia. It was fine.

Swallowing hard, Prompto stared at the back of Dino’s head. “Anyway… Do you have a spare key? I need to pick up my suitcase from my other hotel tonight.”

“It’s my room, so no. I’ll go with you,” came the cold reply.

Prompto stared for a few more seconds, wondering if he could maybe make Dino’s head explode from sheer will, then grabbed his phone and bolted, only stopping when he was alone in the stairwell. He barely thought about it and immediately called Noctis, who answered on the first ring.

_“Prom?”_

“Would you be able to bail me out if I committed murder?”

There was a soft chuckle on the other end of the call. _“I don’t have that kind of influence. Are you okay?”_

“What do you think?” Prompto retorted, a bit more harshly than he had intended, and immediately apologized. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. It just- it sucks, and that guy is the absolute worst, I swear.”

_“What happened?”_ Noctis asked, the concern in his voice already helping Prompto’s body relax a little.

“Well. All the hotels are booked… I have to stay with Dino for the next two nights, and he’s being a butt about it, and… I guess I won’t be able to hang out before we leave…” Prompto said, dejected.

_“Wait. Is that guy… giving you a curfew or something?”_

“Well, he won’t give me a key, for one. And since he’s gotten it into his head that I’m sleeping with Aranea, he’s not gonna let me out of his sight.”

_“What?”_ Noctis laughed.

“It’s a stupid story… And not true, by the way,” Prompto added quickly.

_“I wasn’t worried - But I wonder how he’d react if he found out who you’re really sleeping with, since you told me he was interested.”_

“As fun as it might be, I’m not certain it would help my situation much right now…” Prompto trailed off. “Also, since when are we sleeping together?” he asked teasingly.

_“Strictly speaking, we’ve been asleep in the same bed.”_

“Riiight.” Prompto chuckled. He thought then that if he were to survive the next two nights, it’d mainly be thanks to calls like this one.

_“Anyway, don’t worry about it, okay?”_ Noctis said, and Prompto thought he sounded a bit too confident.

“What do you mean?” Prompto asked, a little suspicious. He could have guessed Noctis might be able to help - might _want_ to help, but that wasn’t what he wanted from him. He hadn’t even thought about it until now, he had honestly just needed to vent… And, well, hearing Noctis’ voice was nice, too.

_“Just- Don’t worry,”_ Noctis repeated.

“Noct. I wasn’t calling you so you’d do something about it, okay? I can handle it.” He really could. Probably.

_“You did ask me to bail you out for murdering your colleague, though.”_

“That was clearly a joke, though. Noct, please, just…”

_“Listen, I know you didn’t call me for help - but I understand what’s happening. Your company needs a room under your name, right? This  can be solved so easily, it’d be stupid not to do anything and let you stay with that guy… Just assume I’m doing it for me, if it helps?”_

“For you…” Prompto said quietly.

_“Well, I’d rather spend the next two nights with my boyfriend, so, yeah.”_

Wait.

What.

“Boyfriend?” Prompto choked, his heart suddenly hammering inside his chest.

_“Aren’t we?”_ Noctis said, and maybe he sounded a little worried, but Prompto couldn’t be sure because he suddenly couldn’t think straight. _“Okay, you know what, that settles it - we need to see each other tonight. Give me an hour, maybe less. And don’t worry about it, okay? It’s so simple, it totally doesn’t count as an abuse of status.”_

Prompto barely registered that the call had ended. He was sitting on the stairs, still clutching his phone against his ear and grinning madly. Actually, he was _this_ close to hugging his phone and giggling like a blushing teenager.

_Boyfriend._

Sure, it wasn’t such a big surprise - they had mentioned _dating_ and all - but still… Hearing it from Noctis’ mouth was something else entirely.

_He was Noctis’ boyfriend._

_Noctis was_ his _boyfriend._

Maybe his luck hadn’t abandoned him after all. Wait - speaking of luck, was Noctis really going to solve this room issue? Prompto was still having some mixed feelings about it, because really, he didn’t want to be the guy who was taking advantage of Noctis… But then again, if it was as simple as Noctis had said, and could prevent him from staying with _Dino_ of all people…

Not that Dino wouldn’t find this extremely suspicious, but if the paperwork was legit there was nothing he could hold against Prompto. Also, frankly, right now Prompto couldn’t care less about Dino and whatever annoying thing he would say - because Prompto had a _boyfriend_ and he was freaking perfect.

He eventually managed to make it back to his desk, trying not to smile too much. He barely acknowledged Dino, who was making a point to keep staring at his computer anyway, and sat down to get some work done.

Well, or at the very least, _try_ to get some work done. Staring dreamily into the distance or checking the time seemed like much more interesting choices right then. Prompto did notice there was a message from Aranea on the IM, though he couldn’t say whether or not the window had been blinking for a while. Distractions, you know. 

> _[Aranea Highwind] Are you okay?_
> 
> _[Prompto Argentum] I should be. You didn’t happen to overhear Dino talking to me, by any chance?_
> 
> _[Aranea Highwind] No- why, what did he say?_

Prompto sighed. Well, if she hadn’t heard there was no point in stirring the issue even more. Besides, things should work out soon, and it would be different in Insomnia. They wouldn’t _have_ to talk about anything other than their common project, and wouldn’t hang out together ever.

> _[Prompto Argentum] Never mind. It’s all good._
> 
> _[Aranea Highwind] Prompto?_
> 
> _[Prompto Argentum] I’m fine. Got my boyfriend on the phone. It’s cool :)_

Aranea didn’t seem to be buying it, but Prompto was glad that she let the issue drop anyway. She wasn’t their boss, after all; she was part of a completely different branch, and she had already been nice enough to them during their time here. From what his other colleagues had told him, that wasn’t always the case. Sometimes the people on location weren’t too happy about having to change their work habits and get used to new softwares, so they weren’t that welcoming.

About half an hour later, Prompto noticed that Aranea was talking on the phone - and staring at him weirdly. His heart started beating faster, and he wasn’t too surprised to see the IM window blink again as soon as she had hung up. 

> _[Aranea Highwind] How did you do this?_
> 
> _[Prompto Argentum] What do you mean?_
> 
> _[Aranea Highwind] HR just called again. Apparently your former hotel called them, saying there had been a mistake and there actually was a room under your name?_

Prompto bit his lip to try not to smile too much.

> _[Prompto Argentum] Really? Well, that’s good news._
> 
> _[Aranea Highwind] What did you do?_
> 
> _[Prompto Argentum] Nothing. I told you, I just called my boyfriend._
> 
> _[Aranea Highwind] Who the hell are you dating?_
> 
> _[Prompto Argentum] Just some guy..._
> 
> _[Aranea Highwind] PROMPTO._
> 
> _[Prompto Argentum] Alright, maybe I’ll tell you before I leave^^ Dino would have a stroke if he knew. They might cross paths at the airport though - could be interesting._
> 
> _[Aranea Highwind] I suddenly feel very inclined to take you guys to the airport._

Prompto almost snorted at that, but managed to stop himself just in time. Aranea mentioned she had some things to do, but that she’d come by later to let Dino know as well - which Prompto was grateful for, because he really didn’t want to have to break the news himself. He did shoot a quick text to Noctis, though.

> _[Prompto] I don’t know how you did this but- THANK YOU._

He quickly reeled himself in as he almost added “I love you” - which, really, he would have probably told anyone helping him avoid sharing a room with Dino; but which might have been awkward given the situation. Noctis’ reply came almost immediately.

> _[Noctis] :) it was nothing. Basically just put my room under your name. So... I now technically don’t have a room._
> 
> _[Prompto] Wait, you didn’t have to check out, did you?_
> 
> _[Noctis] Nah, I’m still there, but I’ll have to leave if you tell me to :(_
> 
> _[Prompto] Well, lucky you, I’m not the kind of guy to let my boyfriend sleep outside ;)_
> 
> _[Noctis] Lucky me indeed :)_

That was it - Prompto was going to melt all over his desk because, again, how on Eos did he end up with someone like Noctis? He really wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to stop asking himself this question - well, assuming they stayed together long enough - and _Gods, Prompto, would you just let yourself be happy?_

Prompto briefly glanced at the time on his phone. Barely 11am yet. Dammit, the next 8 hours were going to be long.

* * *

By the time he finally reached the hotel elevator, Prompto was just a big ball of nerves. He had texted Noctis earlier that day not to worry about their third date, that Prompto would take care of it - and sure, that little place near the office made pretty amazing sandwiches, but Prompto couldn’t help but wonder if staying in was a good idea.

The truth was, as the day had progressed, Prompto found that he really, _really_ didn’t feel like going anywhere that night. His thoughts had started pretty tame and sweet, curling up with Noctis on the bed, eating some take out, just like they had on Sunday… But soon enough all he could think about was the taste of Noctis’ lips, the feeling of Noctis’ hands grabbing his hair, Noctis’ hands all over his body, how _good_ it had felt on that first night, and just how gorgeous Noctis would look completely naked, his skin flushed with arousal, and-

Well. It had _not_ been a productive work day at all.

And it wasn’t because Noctis had helped with the ‘Dino situation’, honestly. It was just… everything. How they had clicked pretty much immediately, how they could talk easily about anything, how Noctis seemed to care for him - to trust him, how they couldn’t seem to keep their hands - or lips - off each other, how Noctis had said Prompto was his _boyfriend,_ and, just, really, Prompto was only human.

The kiss they exchanged after Noctis opened the door made Prompto think that this was a good idea, though.

“Hey, _boyfriend,”_ he whispered against Noctis’ lips.

Noctis simply chuckled, tightening his hold around Prompto’s waist. “Was it really such a surprise?”

“Yes and no,” Prompto replied, nuzzling Noctis’ cheek. “I mean, I kinda thought as much but… It was nice to hear it.”

“Good,” Noctis breathed out. “So, where are we going?”

Prompto backed away a little and bit his lip, holding up the takeout bag. “Actually… I thought…”

Noctis laughed at that. “I see I’ve converted you to the joys of staying in?” he teased, watching as Prompto settled the bag on the desk before removing his jacket.

“Well, since you went to all the trouble of making sure I could even be in this room…” Prompto trailed off, tilting his head.

“Hmm, does this count as a third date, though?” Noctis asked, cocking an eyebrow as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Prompto looked back at Noctis and smirked. “Oh, it counts,” he said in a low voice, moving to straddle Noctis’ thighs, his arms settling around the other man’s neck.

Noctis’ hands were immediately on Prompto’s hips, fingers digging slightly into the material of his pants. “Does it really?” Noctis whispered, leaning forward until their lips were nearly touching.

A shiver ran up and down Prompto’s spine and he almost closed the distance, but caught himself just in time - a little teasing couldn’t hurt. Smiling, he let his lips run on Noctis’ jaw, placing feather-like kisses along the way, until he reached the other man’s ear and gave it a small nibble. “Sorry, you were saying?” Prompto breathed, smirking slightly at the way Noctis’ breath hitched.

Noctis angled his head to try and chase Prompto’s lips, but Prompto simply chuckled and leaned back just out of reach, his breathing picking up when his eyes met Noctis’ darkened ones. _“Fuck,”_ Noctis groaned, slipping his hands under Prompto’s shirt, and Prompto couldn’t help but arch his back at the contact, their hips sliding just a little bit closer together.

Not breaking eye contact, Prompto slowly moved his hands to the front of Noctis’ shirt and began to unbutton the first button. “Sorry,” he said again, his hands moving down to undo a second button, then a third, just enough for him to slide his hands over the warm skin of Noctis’ collarbones and shoulders. “You were saying?” he asked once more, keeping his voice low.

“Fuck,” Noctis breathed again, fingers digging into Prompto’s back, making him moan softly. “Yeah,” Noctis continued, leaning forward once more, “yeah, it counts.”

Prompto just smiled and allowed Noctis to finally close the distance. They could probably eat later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand... that's it for now ;) I'm sorry, please don't hate me! I promise I didn't start chapter 9 when they eventually eat - the sexy times are definitely coming!
> 
> Also, please take a look at [@somnusnemoris](http://somnusnemoris.tumblr.com/)’ super adorable [artwork of Prompto gazing lovingly at his phone in this chapter](https://somnusnemoris.tumblr.com/post/168443817393/alright-so-this-is-the-first-time-im-posting)!! This is so cute, and I can't believe this fic inspired more art - guys, I'm overwhelmed by so much love <3
> 
> Fun fact, I also almost had to share a room with that horrible colleague of mine. I didn't have a Noctis though, so up until the last minute I was frantically searching for a way to escape this (some of the *nice* things Dino tells Prompto aren't exactly made up), and then she just came out of the shower and told me she had gotten a plane to another country and was leaving in a few hours. Apparently fate had decided that I only needed to be insulted for a few hours instead of several nights... Anyway. I thought I could use that part and have Noctis save the day because he can, and now they're boyfriends and they're adorable and I love them.
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked this chapter :)  
> Don't hesitate to bother me on Tumblr [@yuneyn](http://yuneyn.tumblr.com/) and Twitter [@Yuneyn_](https://twitter.com/Yuneyn_/)


	9. Somebody I can kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:  
>  _Prompto just smiled and allowed Noctis to finally close the distance. They could probably eat later._
> 
> And now:  
>  _Prompto couldn’t remember ever wanting someone this much._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I apparently haven't abused the lyrics of this song enough, so have another chapter title from it)
> 
> Well, not much surprise here, about half of this chapter is smut? As per my usual style, it's not the most explicit thing ever, but I hope you guys will like it!  
> Of course, the boys are as cute as ever and Noctis is the perfect boyfriend - I mean, why would that change? There's also some Cindy at the end ;)
> 
> Thank you so much for all the love you guys are giving this story!! I'm so happy people are enjoying this ridiculously fluffy thing!

Prompto couldn’t remember ever wanting someone this much.

He was still fully clothed, mind you, having only discarded Noctis’ shirt before pushing him down onto the bed - but the soft noises Noctis was making while Prompto’s mouth explored his chest were already enough to drive him insane.

He took his time, though, trying to memorize every little reaction he could draw from Noctis - like the quiet moans that escaped his lips whenever Prompto flicked his tongue over a hardening nipple, the way he exhaled sharply whenever Prompto grazed his fingers along his sides, or how his back arched whenever Prompto nibbled the spot between his neck and collarbone.

For someone who apparently was usually not that much into sex, Noctis was amazingly responsive. Prompto couldn’t help but feel just a little bit proud, and all the more eager to make this as enjoyable as possible for his new _boyfriend._

Dammit, he also couldn’t remember that word ever having this much power over him.

Prompto felt Noctis’ hand in his hair tug slightly and let the other man pull him up into a deep, heated kiss as they slid up the bed enough so that Noctis’ legs weren’t dangling over the edge anymore. Noctis fell back onto the bed as they broke apart, and Prompto took a few seconds to admire the man underneath him. Noctis was staring up at him with darkened eyes, his hair splayed over the mattress and his skin already sporting a nice pink flush - he was positively _gorgeous_. Prompto felt his own breath hitch in his throat as he watched Noctis’ chest rise and fall with heavy breaths, before letting his eyes trail down to the very obvious bulge in Noctis’ pants.

Experimentally, Prompto dragged one of his fingers along the curve of Noctis’ clothed erection. Noctis hissed, then shot up, his hands grabbing Prompto’s ass to pull him closer and grind their hips together. Both men groaned, Prompto’s head falling onto Noctis’ shoulder. Noctis took this opportunity to place a few open-mouth kisses along the side of Prompto’s neck, gently teasing the skin with his teeth - and Prompto outright _whimpered,_ rocking his hips hard into Noctis’, the friction sending electricity shooting through his veins.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” Noctis whispered in his ear.

“Well, that’s a problem,” Prompto replied with a breathy chuckle. “Better solve it,” he continued before capturing Noctis’ lips again.

Noctis hummed into the kiss, and Prompto felt the other man’s hands move to the front of his shirt, making quick work of the buttons before discarding it somewhere on the floor. Noctis’ hands on his back were warm, the contact almost burning, and Prompto pressed himself flush against Noctis. His hands were buried in Noctis’ dark hair, pulling slightly as he kissed the other man with everything he had.

Kissing Noctis was just as intoxicating as ever, even more so with the contact of skin on skin - but Prompto eventually managed to pull back, staring intensely into Noctis’ heated eyes before pushing the other man back down onto the bed. Noctis raised an eyebrow at him, but Prompto just smiled, leaning down to kiss his way down Noctis’ neck and collarbone to his chest. No need to rush things - they had time, and Prompto _really_ wanted Noctis to feel good.

He slowly let his mouth wander down Noctis’ body, teasing every sensitive spot he uncovered with his teeth and tongue, and getting drunk on Noctis’ breathless moans. When Prompto reached the waistband of Noctis’ pants, he briefly looked up - the dark, expectant gaze Noctis was giving him was enough incentive to keep going.

Trying to ignore how much tighter his pants had gotten as Noctis’ naked body was revealed, Prompto swiftly started placing kisses up Noctis’ legs, moving back up the other man’s body - kissing, nibbling, teasing every patch of skin he could find - still purposefully avoiding Noctis’ straining erection.

Noctis whimpered in frustration, pulling Prompto back into a kiss. “Tease,” Noctis whispered against Prompto’s lips.

“Complaining?” Prompto chuckled.

“Not really, but-” Noctis breathed out, his hips bucking up as he tried to pull Prompto’s body down onto his - desperately seeking some friction. _“Gods,_ Prom, come on,” he groaned when Prompto didn’t budge.

Prompto laughed softly again. “Alright,” he whispered in Noctis’ ear, placing a soft kiss just underneath it as he moved one hand down between them.

Noctis hissed at the contact, and his head fell back into the mattress as Prompto started stroking him leisurely but firmly at the same time. Prompto kissed down the exposed curve of Noctis’ throat, gently nipping his collarbone and relishing the way Noctis’ fingernails dug into his back when he did.

Prompto was doing a pretty good job at ignoring his own arousal so far, pushing back the urge to strip off his pants and let Noctis take him right now because - _dammit_ if he hadn’t wanted this for days now; but he stubbornly wanted to make this last, to keep touching Noctis, kissing him, hearing him - _really,_ he just didn’t want this to stop.

Still, when one of Noctis’ hands moved to cup him through his pants, Prompto couldn’t help the way his hips rocked into the touch, nor the moan that escaped him. He lifted his head to look at Noctis through hazy eyes, and if the man was trying to smirk he was not doing a great job at it, given that all Prompto could see was the raw desire in his eyes.

“Prom,” Noctis breathed out, lifting his head to chase Prompto’s lips - and Prompto let himself be pulled into a hungry kiss. _“Prom,”_ Noctis said again as they broke apart, “I want- I need-”

“Yeah,” Prompto whispered, and alright, maybe his stubbornness was melting away like snow in the sun with the increasing pressure of Noctis’ hand around his clothed erection, because Prompto only placed one more kiss on Noctis’ lips before almost jumping off the bed, vaguely registering Noctis’ groan at the loss of contact.

He quickly reached his bag and fumbled with the pockets until he found what he had bought earlier - then almost forgot to breathe as he got up and turned around. _Gods,_ Noctis was splayed on the bed, half-lidded eyes staring heatedly back at him, and legs spread invitingly - and _dammit_ if Prompto didn’t almost come on the spot, because this absolutely was the hottest thing he had ever seen.

“Are you- I mean, do you really- I mean, I thought-” Prompto stammered, cursing himself for his sudden inability to form coherent sentences.

Noctis chuckled and sat up, crawling towards the edge of the bed where Prompto was standing. He pulled Prompto closer, hooked one leg up behind his thighs and started unfastening his pants. “I seem to remember _someone_ saying they like to be in control?” Noctis teased. “And I guess I have had no complaints so far.”

Prompto choked, the movement of Noctis’ hands wasn’t helping him focus. “That’s not what- I really don’t mind either way,” he managed to say, then had to bite his lip as Noctis tugged down his pants and boxers. “I just thought… You…” he breathed out, rendered unable to speak again as Noctis started kissing down his stomach.

It may just have been some weird instinct, but while Noctis apparently liked to tease him about ‘being in control,’ Prompto had somehow thought Noctis to be the kind of guy unable to completely relinquish it - including when it came down to intimacy. At least that was what Prompto had assumed, based on how often Noctis had been the one to start kissing or teasing him. Then again, it wasn’t as if Prompto cared. He had no real preference when it came down to sex, and - well, the idea of getting fucked by Noctis wasn’t exactly unpleasant.

Now, to think that Noctis wanted him to… The warmth in his chest was starting to compete with that pooling in the lower part of his body.

“Maybe you thought right,” Noctis said against Prompto’s stomach, pulling him closer in a somewhat awkward embrace. “Maybe it’s not what I’d usually do, but… With you… I really want to- I mean, if it’s what you want…”

Prompto tossed the supplies he was holding onto the bed so he could use both hands to cup Noctis’ face. He leaned forward slightly and placed a soft kiss on Noctis’ lips, then pulled back to look him in the eyes. “Honestly, I just-” he started, brushing away some of Noctis’ bangs. “I just want you to enjoy this,” he said quickly, his eyes darting to the side as he felt his cheeks grow warmer than they already were.

When Prompto’s eyes met Noctis’ again, he was greeted with the fondest, most affectionate smile ever - and _Gods,_ Prompto was trying his best not to think about that damned four-letter word yet, but _really,_ the way Noctis looked at him sometimes made it difficult.

“Well then,” Noctis said in a low voice, taking Prompto by the hands to pull him close as he moved back on the bed. “Please,” he whispered, but Prompto heard so much more than this single word - _‘I trust you’ - ‘I want you’ - ‘I need you’ -_ and then Prompto was kissing Noctis again, feeling the heat rise quickly between them again as their naked bodies melted against each other - and _dammit,_ Prompto just couldn’t take it anymore.

Everything was almost a blur after this - Prompto making sure Noctis was ready for him, preparing him carefully - too carefully, probably, as Noctis was almost losing his mind by the time Prompto entered him, rambling aimlessly about how he wasn’t made of glass and _“Godsdammit Prompto, please, just-”_ Which Prompto would have thought endearing if he wasn’t already focusing on how incredibly hot Noctis was being, and how tight and warm and purely _amazing_ Noctis felt around him.

Prompto knew they weren’t going to last very long; they were too worked up already, had been waiting for this for too long - but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was the way Noctis was looking back at him - his gaze still piercing even through half-lidded hazy eyes, the way Noctis’ nails scratched his back as he managed to find the right angle, the way they tried to kiss but ended up mostly panting against each other’s mouths, the way Noctis’ head fell back when Prompto reached between them with one hand, the way Prompto’s name fell breathlessly from Noctis’ lips as he came - his whole body clenching around Prompto, sending him crashing over the edge barely seconds later.

The room fell silent, save for the sound of their still ragged breathing, and Prompto couldn’t care less about the mess between them as he collapsed onto Noctis. He let himself be held tightly in Noctis’ arms, his head resting in the crook of the other man’s neck while reality slowly came back into focus.

Eventually, their breathing grew more quiet, and Prompto heard Noctis make a soft, contented noise as he kissed the crown of Prompto’s head. Prompto wanted nothing more than remain in Noctis’ arms, but he knew he had to move. He placed a soft kiss on Noctis’ cheek then rolled off the bed, quickly going into the bathroom to discard the condom and grab a towel. When he came back into the room, Noctis had propped himself up on the bed a little and was looking back at him with a gentle - and somewhat shy - smile.

Prompto smiled back as he joined Noctis on the bed, handing him the towel and pulling the covers up over them. It wasn’t that cold, but the contact of the cool air on his sweaty skin was starting to make him shiver. Noctis rolled over onto his side and pulled Prompto into a tight embrace, capturing his lips in a slow, lazy kiss. Prompto kissed back, just as slowly; he was feeling incredibly relaxed and positively infatuated - and most likely better than he ever had in a _very_ long time.

“You okay?” he whispered against Noctis’ lips as they eventually broke the kiss.

Noctis chuckled and pulled back a little to look at Prompto. “What kind of question is that?”

“A very legitimate, concerned one,” Prompto retorted, raising his eyebrows.

“Told you, I’m not made of glass, right?” Noctis said, pecking Prompto’s lips a few times as he did. One of his hands moved to brush away some of the hair sticking to Prompto’s forehead, then settled on his jaw.

Prompto watched silently as Noctis studied his face, his gaze soft and caring, blue eyes still shining in the dimming light. Prompto thought idly that they should probably turn a light on, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. There was just something so intense in the way Noctis was looking at him, it was almost hypnotizing.

His hand still cupping Prompto’s jaw, Noctis gave Prompto a small smile before gently kissing him again. “It was great,” Noctis whispered, then kissed Prompto again. “You’re great.” Another kiss. “You’re gorgeous.” One more. “You’re amazing.” And one more.

Prompto wasn’t sure what to make of all that - he _knew_ he was neither amazing nor gorgeous, if anything those were adjectives better suited for Noctis. Still, his heart felt just about to burst, and a lump was rapidly forming in his throat, and really, all he could do was bury his face in the crook of Noctis’ neck and cling to him for dear life.

“Prom?” Noctis asked softly.

“You can’t say things like that,” Prompto said quietly, trying to keep his voice from wavering.

“Why not?”

There were so many reasons; Prompto could barely grasp them all, and he knew some of them didn’t even make much sense, so he just settled for, “I might end up believing them.”

“Good,” Noctis whispered, gently kissing Prompto’s hair.

* * *

“Hey, thanks again, by the way,” Prompto said after swallowing a bite of his sandwich. They had eventually been hungry enough to stop cuddling and grab the takeout Prompto had bought to eat on the bed, not bothering to put on more than sweatpants.

“For what?”

“For what you did today- I mean, I know it would only have been two nights and ultimately it would have been fine but… Ugh, I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with that,” Prompto started, running one hand through his messy hair before looking at Noctis with a smile. “Plus I’d also really rather spend those nights with you.”

Noctis smiled back and reached out to grab one of Prompto’s hands. “Don’t sweat it,” he said, squeezing gently.

“Guess things will be a little different once we get back to Insomnia, huh?” Prompto asked quietly, tilting his head. He knew that realistically they couldn’t always spend as much time with each other as they had this week - they each had their own place, their own lives - and besides, he didn’t want to risk either of them getting tired of the other, even though that very concept seemed completely far-fetched right now. Still, Prompto couldn’t deny that he kinda wanted to spend every available moment with Noctis.

“Guess so,” Noctis said pensively, his thumb idly stroking the back of Prompto’s hand. “I’m usually at work a lot, and sometimes I have to stay pretty late… but don’t worry, I’ll make time for you. I want this to work. You’re not getting rid of me easily.” His lips were curled into a small smirk as he brought Prompto’s hand up to his mouth to kiss his knuckles.

Prompto chuckled and beamed at Noctis. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” He paused for a second, then remembered something. “Hey, you work at the Citadel, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I…” Prompto trailed off a little, then bit his lip before continuing. “I might need to abuse your status one more time.”

Noctis started laughing. “I think I know why.”

“Well, it’s just- I’ve always wondered what the city looks like from up there, you know? It’s only the tallest building in Insomnia,” Prompto said quickly.

“I think that can be arranged,” Noctis said, still laughing a little as he leaned forward to place a small kiss on the corner of Prompto’s lips.

“You’re the best, thanks Noct,” Prompto said, grinning.

“Besides, it’s not like I intend to keep you a secret,” Noctis continued thoughtfully.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I mean, if things go well - and I don’t know about you but I kinda have a good feeling about this? Anyway, I guess you coming by the Citadel wouldn’t be too weird.”

Prompto felt his heart speed up in his chest. “You know, you told me once you weren’t good with words, but I don’t think that’s true at all.”

Noctis gave an embarrassed chuckle and set aside the rest of his sandwich to run his hand through his hair. “Well, as long as you think so…”

“Uh-huh,” Prompto said quietly, shifting closer so he could easily kiss Noctis’ cheek. “Ah, by the way, speaking of secrets - I did mention I had met someone to my best friend and to Aranea. I mean, I kinda had to tell Aranea so that Dino wouldn’t plan team dinners all week. I didn’t tell them who you are, though - not that my friend would know, I think… But Aranea’s been getting suspicious since the hotel room thing.”

Noctis shrugged. “I don’t mind if they know. Besides, we’re taking the same flight back home, so I’ll probably bump into your _wonderful_ colleague, and - correct me if I’m wrong, but he does seem like the kind of guy who’d enjoy spreading gossip.”

Prompto winced. Noctis was right, there was a very big chance everyone at his office would know about this the day they got back. Not that he cared _that_ much; his other colleagues were nice and all, but it was just the concept of not having a say in it… “Yeah, he’s… fun like that.”

“Don’t worry about him too much. A lot of offices have their own Dino, unfortunately,” Noctis said, releasing Prompto’s hand to slip his arm around his shoulders. “Now, tell me about your best friend.”

Prompto smiled and let himself relax against Noctis. “Cindy’s pretty awesome. She stuck with me for, like, ten years… Other friends tend to come and go, but not her. Actually, you should thank her, because she encouraged me to take a chance with you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just… I haven’t had the best relationships, I guess,” Prompto said, making a dismissive gesture with his arm. “I got a bit scared by how much I liked you right from the start, and I called her and she knocked some sense into me.”

Noctis tightened his arm around Prompto’s frame. “I’ll definitely thank her, then.”

“She actually said she wanted to see a photo of you… If it’s okay?”

“I told you, I don’t mind. You can even send her the article and all.”

“Actually…” Prompto said, smirking slightly. “I have an idea. It’s almost 2am in Insomnia, though, so I don’t know if she’ll get it - she does tend to stay up pretty late, though.”

Prompto extended his arm to grab his phone from the bedside table. He quickly looked for a link to the article about Noctis, and texted it to Cindy, with a message that said _“By the way, you wanted to see a photo of my new boyfriend?”_

“Sneaky,” Noctis said, looking over Prompto’s shoulder. “I like it.”

Prompto laughed and was about to say something when his phone vibrated with a reply. Well, that was fast. Noctis’ chin was resting on his shoulder as he checked Cindy’s reply.  

> _[Cindy] Okay loverboy, that’s not a photo, that’s a link to a magazine I know you don’t even read. I want a refund. Also, boyfriend now, huh? ;)_
> 
> _[Prompto] Did you open the link?_
> 
> _[Cindy] Something about eligible bachelors in Eos? What does that have to do with anything?_
> 
> _[Prompto] Well, his photo is in the article._
> 
> _[Cindy] Right. Is this seriously the best joke you can come up with?_
> 
> _[Prompto] :)_
> 
> _[Cindy] Like, you expect me to believe you happened to meet one of the guys in there on the plane, just like that?_
> 
> _[Prompto] :)_
> 
> _[Cindy] Prompto. You expect me to believe you’re dating some hot shot like this number one guy, Noctis Caelum?_
> 
> _[Prompto] :)_
> 
> _[Cindy] PROMPTO ARGENTUM._
> 
> _[Cindy] ARE YOU DATING NOCTIS FREAKING CAELUM._
> 
> _[Prompto] He’s reading over my shoulder by the way._

And laughing hysterically into the crook of Prompto’s neck - but Prompto wasn’t going to say that. He couldn’t really hold back his own laughter either, anyway.   

> _[Cindy] I need proof._

Prompto turned his head to look at Noctis, who was brushing tears of laughter out of his eyes. Noctis nodded briefly, and put his head back on Prompto’s shoulder so that Prompto could snap a quick selfie of the both of them with his phone and send it to Cindy.

> _[Cindy] Seriously you guys could have put some clothes on._
> 
> _[Prompto] We’re wearing pants, though._
> 
> _[Cindy] I don’t want to know._
> 
> _[Prompto] Thought you wanted details._
> 
> _[Cindy] Not those kinds of details- that’s not the point. The point is you ain’t joking and. JUST. WHAT. HOW._
> 
> _[Cindy] Also, hi Noctis Caelum. Just so you know, I hold the high score on every shooting game I’ve ever played. If you hurt my friend, I will personally hunt you down._

“She seems nice,” Noctis said teasingly, nuzzling Prompto’s ear a little.

“She means well…” Prompto said, a bit embarrassed.

“Don’t worry, I also have friends who’ll probably tell you the same thing. And one of them is really tall and has more muscles than any human being should have.”

“Should I be scared?” Prompto asked, leaning back to look at Noctis.

“Only if you plan on hurting me, I guess,” Noctis said with a small smirk.

Prompto smiled and raised an eyebrow at Noctis. “Guess we’re stuck together then, unless we want to face the wrath of our respective friends.”

“That’s really too bad,” Noctis teased, his face inching closer to Prompto’s.

“It is,” Prompto whispered, closing the distance. He only broke the kiss when he felt his phone vibrate in his hand.  

> _[Cindy] Don’t tell me I actually scared him?_
> 
> _[Prompto] Nope- he says hi. Sorry. We got distracted._
> 
> _[Cindy] Distracted. Right. Well, I should go sleep on this new information. I’ll harass you for more details tomorrow. You kids go back to your date or whatever this is ;)_
> 
> _[Prompto] Night Cin :)_

He laid his phone back on the bedside table and turned back to Noctis, who still had one arm loosely draped over his shoulder.

“You know,” Noctis started, his other hand brushing some of the hair away from Prompto’s face, “we technically didn’t wait until _after_ the date.”

Prompto grabbed Noctis’ hand and laced their fingers together before placing a soft kiss on the other man’s lips. “You know what?” he said teasingly, after pulling back a little, “fuck the rules.”

“Or… _Or-”_ Noctis said, a wide but slightly repressed grin appearing on his face, as if he were trying to hold back laughter, and Prompto just knew he was going to make a horrible joke.

“Don’t.”

“You could just fuck m-”

Prompto didn’t give Noctis a chance to finish and surged forward, kissing Noctis fiercely enough to silence him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two dorks I SWEAR they are killing me. Anyway.
> 
> I hope you guys liked this chapter! I'm never too confident when posting smuttier things like this, but it's also a good exercise to get out of my comfort zone a little. So, anyway, I hope it wasn't too weird or anything.
> 
> Only three more chapters - the next one might be one of the sappiest thing ever... (watch me write a 12 chapter story about Noctis being beautiful and amazing and the best thing to ever happen to Prompto) There's also more smut to come at one point, and I guess Aranea and Dino will have to meet Noctis because, well, that's just fun.
> 
> Anyway, thanks so much for reading!  
> Don't hesitate to bother me on Tumblr [@yuneyn](http://yuneyn.tumblr.com/) and Twitter [@Yuneyn_](https://twitter.com/Yuneyn_/)


	10. Put your love in lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It was too soon. It was crazy. And yet, if Prompto was perfectly honest with himself, he had seen this coming early on. It occurred to him that he should probably be scared, having fallen so fast, letting himself be vulnerable again. But strangely, apart from the mad fluttering of his heart inside his chest, he felt very calm._
> 
> _Maybe because what he could see in Noctis’ eyes felt like a mirror of his own feelings. Not that he was ready to voice them yet, though._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, part of this chapter is likely to be cavity-inducing. Then again, if you're still reading this story, I guess this should come as no surprise ;)
> 
> But there's also some Aranea to counter the sappy romantic stuff! Also watch me hint not-so-subtly at how _happy_ the game's ending makes me. 
> 
> I am still baffled by all the love this story gets! Thanks to everyone who's reading, kudo-ing, commenting, etc. - you're always making my day!!

> _[Prompto] We’re waiting for the check then we’ll be out._
> 
> _[Noctis] On my way ;)_

Prompto smiled discreetly and put his phone back into his pocket. He glanced across the table and saw that Aranea was giving him a knowing look, while Dino was busy talking one of their colleagues’ ears off. As it was their last night in Tenebrae - at least this time it seemed to be - the whole team had gone out for one last dinner together. Prompto obviously couldn’t have refused, and he had been honestly happy to go - everyone had been great during their stay, especially Aranea. He really was thankful that his first business trip experience had involved such nice people.

Well - he still wished he could have gone with anyone else but Dino, but at least he had avoided sharing a room with him, so he could endure one last dinner. He had barely even had to talk to him anyway, as he had strategically sat between some of their Tenebraen co-workers.

The night wasn’t over, though; Noctis had told Prompto that he’d like to take him somewhere before they left and he was now supposed to meet up with Prompto at the restaurant once they were done. When Prompto had warned him that he might bump into Aranea or Dino, Noctis had just shrugged, saying that otherwise it would have to happen at the airport anyway. Still, Prompto kinda wished their last night here would be peaceful, and exempt from  any Dino-related drama.

Soon enough, they were out of the restaurant. Looking around briefly, Prompto saw that Noctis hadn’t arrived yet. As all their co-workers started making their way back home, only Aranea, Dino and he were left chatting on the sidewalk. As Dino stepped aside for a second to hail a cab, Prompto caught Aranea’s gaze once again and he knew that she had noticed his incessant fidgeting.

“Here Aranea, you can take the first one,” Dino told Aranea as the cab stopped in front of them.

“Thanks Dino,” she said, with too wide a smile. Then, just as she was about to sit, she took a step back and looked inside her bag. “Dammit, I just realized I forgot my phone in the restaurant. One of you guys go ahead, I’ll take another one,” she added, before disappearing back inside.

Dino frowned as she watched her walk away, then turned to Prompto. “Go ahead, I’ll wait.”

_Damn that guy._

“Actually… I’m not going back just yet, I’m meeting with my friend,” Prompto said as lightly as possible.

“Right. You know, you two aren’t even subtle. And don’t get me started about how inappropriate-”

“Seriously Dino, will you stop with that?” Prompto interrupted, trying to speak calmly. “You know what, believe me or not, it doesn’t matter. My friend takes the same flight as we do tomorrow, so that should prove to you that I’m not lying - even though I don’t see how any of this would be your business if it were true.”

Dino narrowed his eyes at Prompto. “Fine. But I really hope you’re not lying,” he said, closing the cab door behind him.

Prompto rolled his eyes as he watched the cab drive away. _Why does it matter to him anyway?_ Part of him now wished Noctis had arrived earlier and they’d just made out in front of Dino out of spite. In reality, though, he was kinda scared of how Dino was going to take their relationship - Prompto would likely never hear the end of it, especially since he would likely have to sit next to his horrifying colleague through the whole flight. There was also a huge probability that Dino would start sucking up to Prompto in hopes that Noctis would introduce him to important people. Ugh. This was going to be a long trip.

The seats were large, though, so maybe he could escape and huddle up with Noctis? As long as they didn’t have to have their seatbelts on, that should be fine, right?

Prompto’s train of thought was interrupted when Aranea came back outside. “Did he leave?”

“Yeah,” Prompto said with a small chuckle. “Now, of course, he’s even more convinced that there’s something between us…”

Aranea laughed. “Don’t you just love messing with those gossipy-type guys?”

“Well, I’d probably enjoy it more if he wasn’t pissed at me as a result. Anyway, did you find your phone?”

“Oh, I had it this whole time.”

“What?”

“You’re waiting for your boyfriend, right?” she asked, then smirked when Prompto’s eyes widened in surprise. “Don’t look so surprised, I told you I wasn’t born yesterday, didn’t I? You’re an open book, kid. But I guess that’s cute, somehow. Anyway, I’m curious, so I had to get Dino to leave first.”

Prompto blinked at her a few times and laughed. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re one of the gossipy types too, Aranea.”

“Tsk, please,” she said, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly. “This is just for my personal amusement.”

Prompto grinned as he spotted the cab stopping a few meters away, a familiar figure stepping out. “Well, then, I hope you’ll be amused,” he told Aranea while waving at Noctis. Prompto had no idea whether or not she would recognize Noctis, but he was sure that she’d make the connection upon hearing his name.

“Nice catch,” she whispered to Prompto while Noctis was still far enough away that he couldn’t hear her, and Prompto felt his face warm up a little. He didn’t reply though, as Noctis approached with a smile, his eyes darting quickly between Aranea and him.

“Noct,” Prompto said with a bit of a shy smile. “Um, this is Aranea Highwind - I’ve told you about her, you know, our team leader here?” He then turned to Aranea, who was smirking slightly. “Aranea, well, this is, um…”

“Noctis Caelum,” Noctis said, one of his hands coming to rest at the small of Prompto’s back while he extended the other towards Aranea. “Nice to meet you,” he continued, shaking Aranea’s hand and mirroring her smirk.

Aranea’s eyes widened for a second but she composed herself quickly and huffed a small laugh. “I _knew_ there was something familiar about you. So you’re the guy who’s been booking hotel rooms for my guest here?”

Noctis’ smirk widened and he was staring right at her while they were still shaking hands. “Well, I would apologize, but I believe we both know I’m not truly sorry.”

She raised one eyebrow at Noctis, not releasing his hand. “I like the way you think, Noctis Caelum.”

“Could you guys stop being weird?” Prompto interrupted, feeling like he was in the middle of some strange power struggle.

“Sorry, Prom,” Noctis laughed. He let go of Aranea’s hand and slipped his arm tighter around Prompto, kissing the side of his head.

Prompto rolled his eyes, then caught Aranea’s amused glance. “I have the feeling you’re gonna get disgustingly cute, so I’m gonna leave you kids alone,” she said, earning herself a death glare from Prompto and a chuckle from Noctis. “I am _definitely_ going to the airport with you, though.”

“You’re such a devoted host,” Prompto said sarcastically.

“I know, shortcake, I’m delightful,” she retorted, hailing a cab.

“We’ll see you tomorrow then,” Noctis said, his arm secure around Prompto’s waist.

“You kids have fun,” she said as she climbed into the cab, then rolled the window open. “Oh, and, Argentum?”

“Yeah?”

“ _Real_ nice catch,” she said with a wide smirk as the cab drove away.

Prompto groaned and hid his face in the crook of Noctis’ neck, but Noctis was simply laughing cheerfully.

“I guess that went well,” Noctis said when Prompto eventually looked back at him.

“That…Yeah...” Prompto said, before sighing deeply.

“What, you don’t agree that I’m a nice catch?” Noctis asked with a fake pout.

Prompto winced and covered his face with one hand. “Oh, shut up.”

Noctis laughed again and stepped away from Prompto to hail another cab. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Where are you taking me, anyway?” Prompto asked as they sat down in the backseat.

“Well, remember when you showed me the pictures you took here? I noticed that you only visited the ruins during the day…” Noctis trailed off.

“Ah yeah, I wanted to see the illuminations, but they don’t do it every night and whenever they did we either finished work super late or had stuff planned with the team… Wait- are they on tonight? Is it where we’re going?” Prompto asked, suddenly very excited.

Noctis reached into his bag and took out Prompto’s camera. “I hope you don’t mind that I brought it for you?”

Prompto stared at Noctis for a second before pulling him in for a kiss. “You’re the best, Noct,” he said as they broke apart.

* * *

The Tenebraen ruins were at the edge of the city, close to the mountain range. Old stone buildings, some seemingly carved into the rock, loomed over narrow gorges and gave the whole place a fantasy-like atmosphere. Everything had been abandoned for centuries, but a restoration committee was making sure the main buildings were being maintained. Further into the ruins, other places were falling victim to the elements, vegetation taking over and growing around the stone.

It was a beautiful place, filled with the legends of Eos, old tales of Kings and Oracles fighting to preserve the light. One of the last places to have withstood the growth of the modern cities, in fact. Prompto had visited it during the day on the first weekend he had been there; people weren’t allowed everywhere, obviously, but there was a sightseeing path that went through the most impressive places.

If Prompto had already found the site fascinating in daylight, the nighttime illuminations made it absolutely magical. Lanterns were placed on every accessible windowsill, even the smallest ones, and were the only light source apart from small LEDs that marked out the path. It was like being surrounded by thousands of floating candles, and it gave the place an enchanting, otherworldly feel.

Prompto was sure he was the living embodiment of the expression “having stars in one’s eyes” as he slowly walked down the marked path, Noctis’ hand warm in his own. He was vaguely aware that he wasn’t even stopping to take pictures, but he was way too enthralled by simply being here and seeing this with his own eyes - with Noctis by his side, no less.

They reached one of the main outlooks, and Prompto let Noctis guide him to one of the benches. There weren’t many people around, so the atmosphere wasn’t disturbed by the sound of many voices.

“So, what do you think?” Noctis asked, keeping his voice quiet.

“Noct, it’s… I’ve seen pictures, but this is a billion times more magical,” Prompto said, unable to look away from the lights. “Thanks for bringing me here.”

“I’m glad you like it. Wanna take some photos?”

“Right, I-” Prompto started, looking around briefly to figure out where would be the best spot. “Maybe by the railing over there,” he said, gesturing to the left where the path continued.

“I’ll go with you,” Noctis offered, and Prompto followed him, already going through the settings of his camera.

It was pretty dark, so Prompto wasn’t sure whether or not he’d be able to do justice to the beauty of the place. He tried to brace his arms on the railing, securing his hold, and took a few test shots. He took a few more after having settled the camera directly on the railing, then checked them with a slight frown.

“Not good?” Noctis asked, standing right next to him.

“I can’t be sure on the small screen, but… they might be a bit too blurry. It’s hard to take clear pictures when there’s so little light…” Prompto trailed off.

“I should have brought your tripod, right?” Noctis asked, and as Prompto looked up he could see that the other man was frowning.

Quickly putting his camera back inside his bag, Prompto slipped one arm around Noctis’ shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. “Don’t you dare apologize- Seriously, just being able to see this is amazing enough.”

Noctis let out a small relieved breath, his arm circling Prompto’s waist and bringing him closer. “Well, if you’re happy I’m happy,” he said, his head leaning against Prompto’s.

_I’m happy._

_Happier than ever, even,_ Prompto thought idly as he snuggled closer to Noctis, leaning into the warmth of his boyfriend’s body. His eyes were unfocused, staring into the distance at the lights surrounding them, and he was hyper aware of Noctis’ thumb tracing gentle circles on his hip through the fabric of his shirt.

“Remember all the legends we heard about in school?” Noctis said quietly, and Prompto hummed in agreement. “Whenever I come here, I always wonder if there’s some truth to them.”

Prompto chuckled and pulled away just enough to see the side of Noctis’ face. “What, like, actual magic from the Gods, and everything?”

Noctis let out a slightly embarrassed laugh and tilted his head. “Well, of course, it sounds far-fetched but… I don’t know, a place like this, it _feels_ magic, somehow?”

“Hmm, I guess,” Prompto said, reaching out with his free hand to grab Noctis’ that was resting on the railing, then started to play idly with his fingers. “All these stories are pretty sad, though. This place is too beautiful.”

Noctis intertwined their fingers and squeezed Prompto’s hand gently. “I don’t know. I guess there’s some beauty to them too.”

“You mean, the whole self-sacrifice thing?”

“Yeah, like.. Serving a greater purpose and all.”

Prompto hummed pensively. “I can see that, and yet…” He let out a small chuckle and shook his head. “This is a bit silly, but I remember back when I was a child and I had just learned about the King of Light, and how he gave his life so that people wouldn’t have to live in darkness… I went home from school and asked my mom if the King of Light had friends or family, because they sure would be sad that he died.”

“You’re cute,” Noctis said, his thumb stroking the back of Prompto’s hand gently.

Prompto felt his face heat up a little and averted his gaze. “Point is- if I were the King of Light’s friend, I would find all of this more sad than beautiful.”

“And if you were the King? What would you do?”

“Dude, I could never be the King. I’d be lucky just to be his friend.”

Noctis sighed softly and shifted so he could rest his forehead against Prompto’s. “You’re too hard on yourself.”

“Sorry, old habit,” Prompto said with a weak chuckle, a now familiar warmth spreading inside his chest. “Besides, not everyone can be Prince Charming.”

“So I did upgrade from knight in shining armor, then?” Noctis said, and their faces were too close but Prompto could just hear the smirk in his voice.

“Hmm, maybe,” Prompto replied, pulling away a little to look at Noctis, and almost forgetting how to breathe.

The dim orange light from the lanterns wasn’t enough to fully highlight Noctis’ features, yet they reflected into his eyes like millions of stars, and surrounded him in the night sky, making him seem almost ethereal. Prompto stared for a moment, transfixed not only by how beautiful Noctis looked, but by all the emotions he could see in his boyfriend’s eyes - fond amusement, genuine attraction, and calm but deep affection.

_Oh._

_Right._

The realization was sudden, but altogether not that surprising. Prompto had tried to stop himself from thinking it enough times over the past few days that when it finally appeared clearly at the front of his mind, it felt so natural that it was almost soothing.

_I love him._

It was too soon. It was crazy. And yet, if Prompto was perfectly honest with himself, he had seen this coming early on. It occurred to him that he should probably be scared, having fallen so fast, letting himself be vulnerable again. But strangely, apart from the mad fluttering of his heart inside his chest, he felt very calm.

Maybe because what he could see in Noctis’ eyes felt like a mirror of his own feelings. Not that he was ready to voice them yet, though.

Smiling softly, Prompto released Noctis’ hand to gently brush his dark bangs from his face. Noctis leaned into the touch, closing his eyes briefly when Prompto cupped his cheek.

“You’re really handsome, you know that?” Prompto whispered, trying to keep his tone teasing to hide how emotional he actually was.

Noctis chuckled. “Look who’s talking,” he said, securing both his arms around Prompto’s waist.

Prompto rolled his eyes, trying to brush it off and hoping the low light would hide the flush on his cheeks. “Please, don’t.”

“I’ll stop when you actually believe me,” Noctis retorted with a fond smile.

Prompto stared at Noctis silently for a few seconds, then stepped closer into his embrace, holding him tightly. He let his gaze wander to the lights surrounding them before closing his eyes and pressing his cheek against Noctis’.

_What did I do to deserve you?_

_I hope this is real. Please. Let it be real._

“Prom?” Noctis asked tentatively.

“I really like you, you know?” Prompto whispered in Noctis’ ear.

_I love you._

Prompto felt Noctis’ arms tighten around him. “I really like you too,” Noctis said quietly, placing a soft kiss on the side of Prompto’s head.

* * *

It was almost midnight when they got back to the hotel, but Prompto wasn’t especially tired - and neither was Noctis, judging by the way he pulled Prompto against him and kissed him deeply as soon as the elevator doors closed on both of them.

“Look who’s eager,” Prompto said with a breathless chuckle when they broke apart.

“It’s your fault,” Noctis said, backing Prompto up against the wall of the elevator and giving his earlobe a playful nip.

“My fault?” Prompto retorted, pretending to be offended as he slipped his hands under Noctis’ shirt.

“Making me want you,” Noctis breathed against his neck, sending shivers up and down Prompto’s spine.

Prompto chuckled again, tracing patterns on Noctis’ back and relishing the way his boyfriend’s body shuddered at the touch. “I take it you’re not as uninterested in this as you used to be?”

“Well you made some compelling arguments…” Noctis trailed off before kissing Prompto again, his hands moving from his hips to cup his backside.

They pulled away reluctantly when they heard the ‘ding’ from the elevator, indicating that they had arrived at their floor. Prompto was relieved no one had been waiting to get in, because they definitely had let themselves get carried away.

It took them longer than usual to reach their room, stopping to exchange more kisses along the way, unable to keep their hands off of each other, Prompto’s tongue playing with Noctis’ ear as he was fumbling for the keycard.

Noctis immediately pushed Prompto back up against the door once they were inside, and Prompto hooked his legs around Noctis’ waist, pushing their hips together. Noctis groaned, then placed his hands under Prompto’s thighs to carry him to the bed, stumbling on top of him.

“I hope you’re not tired,” Noctis said breathlessly against Prompto’s skin as he started unbuttoning his shirt.

“Well, I do have work tomorrow,” Prompto replied in what was supposed to be a nonchalant tone, but his voice broke slightly as Noctis began kissing his exposed stomach.

“You can sleep in the plane,” Noctis said, moving back up Prompto’s body to smirk at him. “Or not.”

Prompto raised an eyebrow. “Noct. I’m not having sex with you in the bathroom on the plane.”

Noctis leaned down to kiss him. “Who said anything about a bathroom?”

Prompto frowned slightly. “Noct. What do you have in mind?” Noctis gave him a sly grin and started kissing down Prompto’s body again. “Noct,” Prompto tried, his breath hitching when Noctis’ fingernails grazed his sides. “Noct, I’m serious-” he tried again, but still no answer came.

It wasn’t long before Prompto stopped caring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm, I wonder what Noctis has in mind... ;)
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!! There's not _that_ much happening, I know - but I do have a lot of things in store for you in the next one, so... Forgive me for the short break in the action! Also, in my head, the ruins are pretty much what see of Tenebrae in game... I just liked to imagine what it would look like at night with lights everywhere... I guess it does give me kind of a "Tangled" feeling too? *winks at 2 of my readers who should recognize the reference*
> 
> Anyway, I'll see you guys next week for the actual last part of the story before the epilogue! Thanks a lot for reading :)  
> Don't hesitate to bother me on Tumblr [@yuneyn](http://yuneyn.tumblr.com/) and Twitter [@Yuneyn_](https://twitter.com/Yuneyn_/)


	11. Nothing's like before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _One week ago, Prompto was exhausted, waiting at Tenebrae airport for a flight that might not leave. He was kind of broken; he didn’t have much hope in relationships or what the future could hold for him. He was living a life that didn’t seem to be truly made for him, and just wanted to go home and sleep._
> 
> _Funny, how things could change so fast._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys haven't seen [@somnusnemoris](http://somnusnemoris.tumblr.com/)’ adorable [artwork of Prompto gazing lovingly at his phone in chapter 8](https://somnusnemoris.tumblr.com/post/168443817393/alright-so-this-is-the-first-time-im-posting), then please check it out! It's super cute and I'm just overwhelmed by the fact that this fic has inspired more art <3
> 
> So, here we are - this chapter should answer the questions "how will Dino react upon meeting Noctis?" and "what does Noctis want to do with Prompto on the plane?" I hope the answers will satisfy you! (I'll admit that I'm terrified - especially as the Dino thing has been building up for a while... but I wanted it to be realistic, so, yeah, here we go)
> 
> Thank you everyone again for all the love you're giving this story, it really means a lot to me!! <3

Being back at Tenebrae airport felt so surreal. It had only been one week ago that Prompto’s and Dino’s flight had been cancelled because of the Rock of Ravatogh eruption, but so many things had happened since then… Somehow it felt as if the equivalent of a few months had been condensed into a few days.

One week ago, Prompto hadn’t even known Noctis.

Right now, however, he was too busy dreading Dino’s reaction to seeing Noctis to focus on how much his life had changed. He knew Noctis and Aranea would likely enjoy this immensely, but they wouldn’t be stuck with Dino for ten hours afterwards, or have to see him every day.

The three of them walked leisurely towards the airline counter, exchanging small talk and thanking Aranea again for her welcome. Eventually, Prompto spotted Noctis waiting - he already knew he had gotten there, as he had texted Prompto earlier. Prompto took a deep breath when he heard Dino gasp audibly between Aranea and him. 

“O-M-G guys, do you see the guy standing in front of the counter? I’m like ninety percent sure it’s _Noctis Caelum,”_ Dino said, his voice taking on a high pitch Prompto had never heard before.

Okay. Maybe Prompto would let himself enjoy the moment a little.

“Hmm?” Prompto simply hummed, waiting for Noctis to notice them.

“Oh come on, he’s like _the_ most eligible guy of our generation. I’m sure Aranea has heard about him, right Aranea?” he said, turning to Aranea, who was barely hiding her smirk.

“Well, his father is sort of famous, I guess. But that guy’s too young for me anyway,” she said dismissively.

“Gods, I have to talk to him- how do I even start,” Dino said to himself, and Prompto bit his lip to try not to laugh. That was when he saw Noctis turn his head towards them and smile. “Wait - is he- guys, I swear he’s smiling at me!” Dino exclaimed, trying to keep his voice low.

Prompto glanced briefly at Aranea, who seemed to be loving this moment a lot, judging by the thoroughly amused look on her face. “Oh, is he?” Prompto asked nonchalantly as he watched Noctis start walking in their direction.

“Shh- he’s coming over. Okay, you let me do the talking, I don’t want you saying anything embarrassing,” Dino muttered quickly, and Prompto rolled his eyes before turning to Noctis as his boyfriend came closer.

It all happened really fast - Prompto barely had the time to notice the smirk appearing on Noctis’ lips when Dino started to greet him excitedly, and then Noctis was kissing him. It was a soft, chaste kiss, but Prompto definitely heard Dino stop talking mid-sentence and make a strangled noise. He decided that having finally succeeded at making Dino speechless was probably worth enduring him for the whole flight back home.

“Hi,” Noctis said as he pulled back.

“Hi,” Prompto replied with a small smile, feeling his face heat up a little.

“You…” Prompto heard Dino breathe out next to him, and he turned to see his colleague staring at them with wide eyes.

Prompto managed his best “corporate” face and gestured towards Dino. “Oh right, sorry, I should introduce you. Noct, this is my colleague, Dino Ghiranze. Dino, I believe you’ve heard of Noctis? And, of course, Noct, you remember Aranea.”

Noctis smiled at Aranea “Sure, nice to see you again,” he said and she gave him a nod, a wide grin splitting her face. Noctis then immediately stepped forward, extending his hand towards Dino. “Nice to meet you Dino. Thanks for always taking such _good_ care of Prompto,” he said, and Prompto was impressed at the lingering threat in his voice despite his sugary tone and the smile he gave to Dino. Prompto almost snorted at the fear that flashed in Dino’s eyes, but managed to stay composed.

“S- sure, it’s always a pleasure to work with him,” Dino said, his voice shaking a little, and Prompto couldn’t help rolling his eyes again at the blatant hypocrisy. “Wait,” Dino continued, glancing between Aranea and Noctis, “you two met?”

“I told you I was meeting someone yesterday evening, right?” Prompto said calmly. “He arrived after you left, just as Aranea came out of the restaurant.”

Dino seemed like he was about to say something, but Noctis turned to Prompto first. “By the way, I need your ticket and your passport.” 

“Huh?”

“You’ll see,” Noctis whispered with a small smirk.

“Noct. What are you doing?” Prompto said quietly, moving a few steps away from the others. 

“Trust me. Please,” Noctis pleaded slightly, his smirk fading a little. 

Prompto pondered for a second - he could only guess Noctis was probably going to get him a different seat so they could be together, which all in all was an idea Prompto liked a lot. Though, they could probably deal with this together as they checked in; Prompto didn’t see why Noctis wanted his ticket. Then again, he guessed it wasn’t too big a deal, so he sighed softly and handed Noctis what he had asked for. 

Noctis beamed at him. “I’ll be right back,” he said, before walking towards the counter.

Prompto stepped back hesitantly towards his colleagues, Dino still seemingly shocked. “Wait,” Dino started, looking at Prompto in disbelief.  “How?” 

“In the plane for Galdin Quay,” Prompto said calmly.

“And you- you never thought to mention it?” Dino’s face was taking a crimson hue and his voice wavering with barely contained irritation. “And you both _knew_ and earlier you let me think- I can’t _believe_ you lied to me.”

Prompto sighed, feeling more bored than scared by Dino’s temper. He was about to talk when Aranea cut in. “Calm down, Dino, it was funny and harmless. Besides, technically, neither of us lied.”

Dino froze, probably realizing that he hadn’t meant to lose his calm in front of Aranea, and took a deep breath to recover his composure. “Still. A little warning would have been nice.” 

“Well, maybe if you hadn’t been so adamant about me and Aranea-”

“It seemed obvious,” Dino interrupted.

 _“In any case,”_ Prompto retorted a little harshly, before he continued in a softer tone, “I don’t see why my private life concerns you.”

Dino glared at him for a second, but then Prompto suddenly saw his expression soften. He immediately understood why when he felt Noctis’ hand on his shoulder.

“Everything okay?” Noctis asked.

“It’s all good,” Prompto said, turning towards Noctis with a smile. 

“Here’s your boarding pass,” Noctis said, handing Prompto the pass along with his passport. When Prompto took it, he saw that the color on the side of the pass was different from the Business Class ticket he had had last time. The choked sound coming from Dino’s direction confirmed his thoughts before he even opened his passport to check what was written on his boarding pass. 

It was a First Class ticket. 

“Noct,” Prompto exclaimed, looking back at Noctis with wide eyes. “No.”

“I wanted to,” Noctis simply said.

Prompto could see that Noctis didn’t want to have this conversation in front of the others - and to be honest, neither did Prompto. So he only sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Well, I…”

“You still need to go check your luggage,” Noctis said quickly. “We should probably get going,” he continued, turning to the others. “Aranea, it’s been nice seeing you again. Dino, I hope you don’t mind me taking Prompto away for the flight.”

Prompto couldn’t help but feel just a little bit of satisfaction at the hint of coldness in Noctis’ voice when he spoke to Dino. He turned to his colleagues as well, and gave Aranea a warm smile. “Aranea, thanks for everything.”

“Don’t mention it,” she said, mirroring his smile. “You kids take care.”

“Dino, I guess since we get to take tomorrow off I’ll see you on Monday,” Prompto said flatly, then turned away without really waiting for a reply. The other man had seemed relatively speechless after seeing the First Class ticket anyway; he hadn’t even replied to Noctis.

Prompto waited until he had taken care of his suitcase and they were walking towards the security checkpoints to bring the ticket up again. “Noct, why?”

Noctis stopped in his tracks and rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed. “Okay- I know I should probably have told you before but… I wanted it to be a surprise, and… There’s a also a very selfish reason why I did this, so, please don’t be mad? I had a ton of miles sitting around anyway, and I was waiting for the right opportunity to use them.”

“Selfish reason?” Prompto asked, genuinely curious.

“You’ll see,” Noctis said with a small smirk, and Prompto wasn’t really sure what to make of it.

“Anyway…” Prompto sighed. “I mean, I can’t _really_ be mad at you for upgrading us to First Class and getting me away from Dino again, but-”

“I know,” Noctis said, kissing Prompto briefly. “I promise I’ll dial down the rich kid impulsiveness.”

“It’s just- I really, really don’t want to feel like I’m taking advantage,” Prompto said, echoing the worries he had voiced when Noctis had told him who he was.

“You’re not,” Noctis quickly replied, then intertwined their fingers. “Now come on, you’re gonna love it.”

* * *

Okay. This was not just a really comfy seat with a few more features than in Business Class. This was a freaking hotel room. Apparently on this particular route, the plane’s usual First Class had been improved _a notch,_ which meant that everyone had their own little private suite, complete with a reclining chair, a huge TV, a ton of amenities - and Prompto hadn’t seen a bed yet, but it wouldn’t surprise him if there was one hidden somewhere. Of course, Noctis had booked them into two adjacent suites, so that the partition could be removed and they could basically share one larger suite. 

If Prompto had already felt out of place in Business Class, this was just ten times worse. He was only grateful he had opted to keep his work clothes this time around, and for Noctis’ presence - which was pretty much acting as his lifeline right now. Some part of Prompto marvelled at how comfortable Noctis was acting; there was no visible tension in his body, and he spoke with ease to every attendant who came to see them. Somehow, Prompto expected to feel his always latent fear of not being good enough gnaw at him even more - but the soft smiles Noctis was sending his way were helping quell his anxiety. 

Dinner went by peacefully - the food was _amazing,_ and Prompto was finally able to relax when the suite was completely closed. It was just like having their own private room, after all, except there was no ceiling, so technically if someone were to stand on something, they could look inside; and they could probably hear them talk if they spoke a bit too loudly. Still, they were isolated enough that Prompto didn’t really care. He had to admit Noctis had had a great idea; they could easily hold hands, or lean over to kiss without having to worry about being inappropriate around the other passengers. Eventually, Prompto even let Noctis drag him to his side to sit in his lap, and smiled at the happy sigh Noctis let out against his hair as he pulled Prompto close.

“You okay?” Noctis asked softly.

“I’m okay,” Prompto replied, nuzzling Noctis’ chest. “I’m not gonna lie though, that was kind of overwhelming at first - I didn’t even know something like this existed. Honestly, I’m probably okay only because you’re here.” 

Noctis chuckled softly. “Guess I’m destined to help you relax on planes?”

“I don’t mind,” Prompto said quietly. “But seriously, thanks, Noct. I’m glad we get to spend one more night together.”

Noctis pushed him back a little so they could look at each other. “You know this isn’t the last night we’re spending together, right?”

“I know,” Prompto replied with a small smile. “It just feels a bit weird to go home after all that’s happened, that’s all.”

Noctis kissed him gently before pressing their foreheads together. “I get it. Everything happened so fast and going back to normal is kinda scary but… I meant what I said, I want to make this work. I want to be with you. That’s not gonna change.”

Prompto tried to swallow the lump in his throat, yet he didn’t trust his voice enough to reply, so he decided to press his lips against Noctis’ again, kissing his boyfriend slowly, deeply, pouring all his feelings into the action. Noctis responded by holding Prompto tighter, and sighing softly into the kiss.

“Let’s ask for the beds,” Noctis breathed against Prompto’s lips, and Prompto nodded slightly.

* * *

Well, it seemed Prompto’s intuition had been correct. There were beds hidden in the walls. And, moreover, since they had two adjacent suites, the two beds transformed into a full-sized double bed, complete with crisp white sheets, soft pillows, and a duvet cover. Pajamas were also part of the amenities, but Prompto had watched with wide eyes as Noctis just put his pair aside before stripping down to his boxers and slipping under the covers.

“Prom?” Noctis asked, realizing that Prompto was staring and hadn’t moved from his spot beside the bed.

“Uh...” Prompto said, eloquently.

“Oh, right, wait,” Noctis said, and leaned over to press the ‘do not disturb’ button on both sides. Because, yes, there was also a _‘do not disturb’_ button. “Now no one’s going to barge in, trust me. And besides, you can wear those things if you don’t feel comfortable.”

Prompto glanced between Noctis and the pajamas, not entirely convinced - but still, the idea of cuddling with Noctis with minimum clothing was definitely an appealing one. He could only hope that with how much a ticket here cost, the flight attendants respected people’s privacy and weren’t so overzealous as to check on them during the night to see if they needed anything. 

He quickly stripped down to his boxers as well, and joined Noctis under the covers. Noctis immediately settled behind him, pressing a kiss against his shoulder and letting one hand slide gently over Prompto’s chest. Prompto let himself relax under the seemingly innocent touches, shifting a little to press his back more against Noctis’ chest. 

It wasn’t too long before Prompto realized that Noctis’ touches were anything _but_ innocent, and that fact was made even more obvious by the growing hardness he could feel against his back. Not that he wasn’t entirely unaffected himself, but still, sleeping in his underwear in the middle of a plane was one thing - _this_ was…

Prompto felt Noctis’ hand start toying with the waistband of his boxers, and he quickly grabbed it to stop its motions. “Noct,” Prompto choked out.

“Well, it’s not a bathroom, is it?” Noctis breathed against Prompto’s ear, kissing the lobe gently. 

Prompto rolled over and looked at Noctis, and his breath hitched at the unmistakable heat he could see in his boyfriend’s eyes. “Still, anyone could...” he said quietly.

Noctis smiled and kissed him briefly, before whispering against his lips. “We just have to be quiet.”

“Noct,” Prompto said again, a little louder.

Noctis pulled back a little and gave Prompto a shy smile. “Okay. Listen, if you don’t want to, I’ll stop and we’ll just cuddle and go to sleep. I just… I kinda always had this fantasy,” Noctis finished quickly, avoiding Prompto’s eyes - and quite visibly blushing.

When Prompto said nothing and just stared at Noctis in surprise, Noctis looked back at him and rolled his eyes. “Don’t look at me like that, not having anyone that made me want to act on my fantasies before now doesn’t mean I don’t have any,” he said with a chuckle, grabbing Prompto’s hand and lifting it to his mouth to kiss it gently. “I really want to do this with you, but I’m not gonna force you, either.”

Prompto swallowed hard at Noctis’ words, the obvious kindness in them making warmth spread through Prompto’s chest. His first instinct had been to stop Noctis, because this was just a bit too public for him - and yet, _yet,_ now that he thought about it, he couldn’t deny that part of him was curious. He had never really thought about having sex in public - or on an airplane, for that matter - but he guessed that as far as public places went this one was probably the most private, so… Why not?

It sure didn’t help that he found himself quite unable to resist Noctis. The man just had this effect on him. Which was absolutely unfair - then again, it seemed Prompto affected him in the same way, so maybe they were even.

Prompto took a deep breath and swallowed hard again, then gave Noctis a small nod. Noctis beamed at Prompto and surged forward, capturing his lips in a heated kiss.

“I’ve created a monster,” Prompto chuckled quietly against Noctis’ lips. 

“So you admit this is all your fault?” Noctis teased, and Prompto kissed him again to shut him up. 

“Okay,” Prompto whispered once they pulled apart again. “This is your fantasy, so I’ll let you lead, but- nothing that could get us caught, please.”

Noctis chuckled and pecked Prompto’s lips quickly. “Don’t worry, I didn’t have anything fancy in mind. Honestly, just…” Noctis trailed off, moving to kiss Prompto’s shoulder and bury his face in the crook of Prompto’s neck. “Just thinking about doing this here, with you, it’s already driving me crazy,” he muttered quickly, obviously uncomfortable with admitting it.

Prompto laughed softly and held Noctis tightly against him, rolling his hips once experimentally to confirm what Noctis just said. Noctis bit back a groan, his breathing harsh against the sensitive skin of Prompto’s neck, sending shivers all over Prompto’s body.

“Can _you_ keep quiet, though?” Prompto whispered teasingly, letting his hands trail down Noctis’ back. Noctis replied by nipping the base of his neck briefly, and Prompto had to bite his lip to stifle a moan.

“You were saying?” Noctis said with a breathy chuckle.

“That’s cheating,” Prompto retorted, pulling Noctis closer, as he was starting to care less about the setting and more about feeling more of his boyfriend.

“Turn around,” Noctis whispered, and Prompto obliged, having more or less figured out what Noctis had in mind.

Prompto heard Noctis rummage through his things before curling back up against him, pressing their bodies together as his hands started wandering over Prompto’s chest once more. Prompto let out a small sigh, pushing backwards against Noctis’ body. The position didn’t allow him much freedom with his hands, but he managed to reach behind him, his hand sliding under Noctis’ underwear to cup his backside as Prompto started grinding his hips into Noctis’ erection.

Noctis’ breath hitched against Prompto’s ear and he moved one hand inside Prompto’s boxers, stroking him in time with each roll of Prompto’s hips. Prompto had to bite his lip again, a moan dying in his throat, as he could already feel the heat build up in his lower stomach - it seemed the fear of getting caught was fueling his arousal faster than usual.

“Noct, just-” Prompto breathed out, his eyes closed as he struggled not to breathe too loudly. Part of him wanted to make this last, but part of him just didn’t want to tempt fate too much, given the situation.

Noctis didn’t seem to mind, though, as Prompto heard the faint sound of a wrapper being torn followed by the cap of a bottle being opened. He was only grateful that the plane was loud enough to hide most noises, and pulled the covers slightly higher above them. Even when he swiftly removed his underwear, he still could barely believe they were about to do this.

Any remaining doubts Prompto might have had were quickly forgotten when he felt Noctis press a first finger into him. His hand shot up to his mouth, and he bit hard on it to stop himself from moaning. Prompto closed his eyes, still keeping his hand balled in a tight fist against his mouth while Noctis made sure he was ready. He could hear Noctis breathing harshly behind him, and his own breathing was coming out in short pants as his senses were assaulted by Noctis’ ministrations.

“Noct,” Prompto all but choked out, hooking one leg behind him to try and bring Noctis closer. The angle was weird but he didn’t care - he needed Noctis, and he needed him _now._

His boyfriend had the audacity to _chuckle,_ but he didn’t tease Prompto any further. Prompto felt Noctis’ hand grip his hip tightly as he pushed inside him, a strangled groan escaping Noctis’ throat - but Prompto knew he had only heard it because Noctis was so close to him.

It didn’t take long until they were both teetering at the edge; the thrill of the situation only intensifying the sensations brought on by Noctis’ thrusts and the movement of Prompto’s hand over his own straining erection. When Noctis suddenly shuddered behind Prompto, biting hard on his shoulder to muffle a cry, nails digging into the skin of his hip, Prompto all but followed, releasing between the sheets as he moaned into his hand.

Prompto barely had the time to come down from his high when he felt Noctis start littering kisses across his shoulders and couldn’t help the happy little laugh that escaped him. He rolled over to face his boyfriend and smiled at the utterly blissed out expression on Noctis’ face. They shared a slow, loving kiss before Prompto pulled back, wincing slightly.

“Everything alright?” Noctis asked with concern.

“Yeah, but… Noct, there’s no way no one will notice the state of the sheets,” he whispered, low-key wanting to disappear into thin air.

Noctis all but laughed, earning himself a glare from Prompto. “Don’t worry so much,” Noctis said, kissing him briefly. “We’ll just remove them before they do. In the meantime- here’s for you.” Noctis reached back to hand Prompto a pack of tissues.

When all - well, _most_ of the incriminating evidence had been discarded, Noctis pulled Prompto against his chest, his hands lazily running along Prompto’s arms and back. Prompto said nothing for a while, content to simply listen to the steady beating of Noctis’ heart and enjoying the warmth of his boyfriend’s embrace.

Eventually, though, Prompto spoke again. “So, that was your selfish reason?”

Noctis gave an embarrassed chuckle. “Are you mad?”

“I guess I’ll live,” Prompto replied noncommittally, kissing Noctis’ chest. “So, Noct. Any other fantasies of yours I should know about?”

Noctis cupped Prompto’s face, urging him to tilt his head up to meet Noctis’ eyes. Noctis’ lips were curved in an amused smirk as he studied Prompto’s face before pecking his lips. “All in due time,” Noctis breathed against Prompto’s lips. “And I should ask you the same thing…”

Prompto felt himself blush at the onslaught of images that came to his mind. He could almost feel his arousal coming back, so he quickly pushed the thoughts down, because there was no way he was risking going for a second round here. So, Prompto simply smirked and pushed his forehead against Noctis’. “All in due time.”

* * *

Prompto sighed longingly as he leaned against the window of the cab, staring at the familiar landscape of Insomnia. The rest of the flight had gone so fast; they had eventually fallen asleep in each other’s arms - and for once Prompto actually had a good night’s sleep in an airplane. Then they had been given brunch, and when they had finally landed in Insomnia, it was the middle of the afternoon already. They had walked out of the airport together to the cab station, hands clutching each other’s tightly. 

Even with the passionate way Noctis had kissed and hugged him before letting him step inside a cab, Prompto had had a hard time hiding his anxiety at the thought of going home alone. It couldn’t be helped, though; they both had to unpack, and Noctis had told him he needed to get to his company to deal with a few things before the end of the day. It wasn’t so much that he was scared about their relationship, not really; Noctis had showed time and time again how much he cared, but… It was just like Noctis had said; going back to normal felt so weird. If anyone asked Prompto, he would have said the past week almost seemed like a dream.

Really, a dream seemed more likely than all of this being real.

With a small smile, Prompto realized that one week ago, he hadn’t even met Noctis yet. They would still have been a few hours away from their first meeting - and Prompto winced slightly upon remembering how utterly stupid he must have looked. Then again, would Noctis have talked to him if he hadn’t started panicking? 

One week ago, Prompto was exhausted, waiting at Tenebrae airport for a flight that might not leave. He was kind of broken; he didn’t have much hope in relationships or what the future could hold for him. He was living a life that didn’t seem to be truly made for him, and just wanted to go home and sleep.

Funny, how things could change so fast. Now the future didn’t seem so bad, and the last thing Prompto wanted was to go home and sleep. Or, to be exact, go home and sleep alone.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and smiled when he saw that Noctis had already texted him. 

> _[Noctis] Okay, this is going to sound stupid because we were together like 5 minutes ago, but._
> 
> _[Noctis] I miss you._
> 
> _[Noctis] I’ll call you as soon as I’m done with work, okay?_  

Prompto bit his lip and he couldn't help the way his hand clutched his phone more tightly. He quickly typed a reply. 

> _[Prompto] I’ll be waiting :)_
> 
> _[Prompto] I miss you too._

Returning his gaze to the window, Prompto let out a loud and dreamy sigh, not even bothering to care whether or not the driver heard him. He held his phone closer to his body and smiled happily. 

Yes. The future _really_ didn’t look so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, those First Class Suites _do_ exist (I did some very important research for this fic, evidently) and if you want to see what they look like, you can check out the whole experience [here.](http://dereklow.co/what-its-like-to-fly-the-23000-singapore-airlines-suites-class/) (I discovered this early on when I was outlining the fic, so this chapter has been in my mind pretty much from the start...)  
>  As for Dino, he just went home, probably still fuming - I didn't really want them to bump into him after the flight, I needed the cute^^
> 
> So, this is technically the end of the story... My idea was always to talk about this one week, how Prompto and Noctis met and fell in love and were cute. But, because I was still able to come up with more gooey romantic things to write, I have prepared an epilogue, which will be from Noctis' POV and should be posted next Sunday if all goes well. So, look forward to more happy feels just before Christmas!
> 
> In any case, thank you so much for reading! I hope you guys enjoyed the update :)  
> Don't hesitate to bother me on Tumblr [@yuneyn](http://yuneyn.tumblr.com/) and Twitter [@Yuneyn_](https://twitter.com/Yuneyn_/)


	12. Epilogue ~ I want something just like this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The idea had been in his mind for a little while. It had appeared to him in all its clarity on one of the rare mornings he was awake before Prompto. Lying next to him, Noctis had been content to simply gaze sleepily at his boyfriend’s beautiful and peaceful face, watching the few rays of sunshine that had managed to slip between the curtains dance in his golden hair. A simple moment, that had just reminded Noctis of how happy he was with Prompto by his side._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are guys, the last part of this story! I can't believe we are now at the end... I started writing this around the end of September, and as someone who tends to procrastinate a lot and lose motivation, it's quite impressive to me that I managed to keep a decent writing rhythm for so long! But this has been a lot of fun to write, so I'm glad that I was extremely sleep-deprived one day and thought back to this volcano adventure of mine... and that my brain decided to make a fic out of it!
> 
> I am also amazed at how much love this story had gotten, I had never expected such a great response to my silly fluff! To everyone who read, left kudos, bookmarked, commented, and even drew art - thank you _so much_ , I'm glad to have been able to share all of this with you!
> 
> And not to forget, a giant thank you to my wonderful beta [Akumeoi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akumeoi/pseuds/Akumeoi) for all her help!! 
> 
> Enough ramblings - here's the epilogue to this story! How are our favorite boys doing several months after they came back from Tenebrae? Here's the answer! And this time, we see things from Noctis' point of view. Warning for extreme fluff~ this is seriously even worse than the part at the ruins.

Noctis’ hands were shaking slightly as he reached for his keys to open the door to their building. His lips curled into a soft smile upon seeing the small fish-themed keychain that adorned his keys - something Prompto had gotten for him when they had moved in together. Prompto’s keys had a chocobo on them, and Noctis thought fondly that this was most appropriate for his golden-haired boyfriend.

They had been living here for almost a year now, having decided to move in together barely 3 months after they had come back from Tenebrae. It might have seemed rushed, but quite frankly everything with them had been rushed. Besides, seeing as they rarely spent one night away from each other, it had seemed stupid to keep paying two rents - not that money was an issue for Noctis, but being away from Prompto certainly was one.

Prompto had been adamant that he wanted to be able to pay for half the rent, so they had moved into a cozy two bedroom apartment in a residential area, on the edge of the city. Noctis didn’t mind one bit - sure, it was a longer commute to work, but his old place had always seemed too cold and empty before Prompto had come into his life. In a way, their little apartment was the first place he could really call home.

The second bedroom had been converted into a study, where Prompto could work on his photography whenever he had time. He still had the same job he had had when they had met, and he still didn’t like it much; but his work was finally starting to be noticed, so Prompto hoped the situation wouldn’t be permanent. Obviously, he hadn’t wanted Noctis to help him - if Prompto were to succeed, it would be thanks to his talent, and not his boyfriend. Noctis understood, of course, and he was incredibly proud of him… Still, it was frustrating sometimes, because he could see how amazing his boyfriend was and wished the whole world would see it as well.

Then again, Noctis also recognized that he might be slightly biased when it came to Prompto.

Prompto had been the best thing to happen to him in the longest time - possibly ever - and he wasn’t afraid to admit it. Looking back, Noctis knew he had probably already been head over heels in love with him when they had come back from Tenebrae. Then again, how could he not have been? Prompto was such a real, honest person. He was so in touch with his feelings that it made Noctis _want_ to feel - to let himself feel, for once, instead of bottling up everything.

They were different, but so similar in many ways - they had just clicked perfectly right from the start… and then everything had unfolded naturally. They had met each other’s friends and families, and had been quickly accepted by everyone. They understood each other so well that they rarely argued, and when they did it never lasted very long. And even after one year together, they still couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

Noctis sighed softly as he stepped into the elevator, immediately leaning against the side wall. He was fumbling nervously with the small box in his pocket, turning it over and over between his fingers.

The idea had been in his mind for a little while. It had appeared to him in all its clarity on one of the rare mornings he was awake before Prompto. Lying next to him, Noctis had been content to simply gaze sleepily at his boyfriend’s beautiful and peaceful face, watching the few rays of sunshine that had managed to slip between the curtains dance in his golden hair. A simple moment, that had just reminded Noctis of how happy he was with Prompto by his side. The simple thought of them being apart had sent a deep ache through Noctis’ chest - after all, he already missed his boyfriend terribly whenever one of them had to leave for a few days on business.

Noctis’ train of thought had been interrupted in that moment when Prompto had let out a content sigh in his sleep, snuggling his pillow just a little closer. And just like that, Noctis had known. He had to ask.

Now, Noctis only hoped Prompto would say yes. With the way Prompto looked at him, there shouldn’t be any rational reason why this would go badly - but then again, feelings and fear were rarely rational. He did have some sort of plan… Well, he wished he had a better one, to be honest, but these things had never been his strong suit. Prompto would have been so much better at planning this. Still, Noctis hoped his boyfriend would like it anyway. He was planning on taking Prompto to the top of the Citadel and watching the sunset together. Prompto loved it up there, and the view was truly beautiful. It would be the perfect place for this.

As he stopped in front of their apartment door, Noctis took a deep breath. Prompto would likely be there already; he usually finished work earlier than Noctis.

_Alright. Showtime._

Noctis turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open.

Then immediately forgot all about his plans.

_What in..._

Every surface of their living room was covered in candles, a multitude of fairy lights hung draped from the walls and around the chairs. The coffee table had been pushed to the side a little, and in its place in the middle of the room, there was Prompto. Prompto, all dressed up, looking absolutely gorgeous in this magical setting - although the flush on his face and the barely contained fidgeting betrayed his nervousness.

Noctis took a few steps forward, his eyes wide and incredulous as he took in what Prompto had done to their apartment. When he finally focused his gaze on his boyfriend again, he blinked. “Prom… What did you…?”

Prompto chuckled nervously, in the way Noctis always found adorable, before walking towards Noctis and taking his hands in his own. “Okay, maybe I went a little overboard...” he said with a shaky smile. “But, remember the ruins in Tenebrae? I always thought it felt like being surrounded by floating candles and… well, I guess I wanted to try and recreate the atmosphere?”

Noctis felt his heart start beating faster inside his chest. “You…” he started, but his voice immediately died in his throat. He could barely process what was going on.

Prompto started walking backwards, leading Noctis to the center of the living-room. Noctis watched as his boyfriend started worrying his lip a little, then looked up at him shyly. “I never told you,” Prompto said, “because I always thought it sounded crazy, but… That night, at the ruins, that was when I knew I was in love with you. And it was so fast, I should have been terrified, you know? But somehow… I wasn’t. With you it’s just… It’s like, my anxieties don’t exist when you’re with me?”

Noctis noticed that Prompto’s voice was starting to waver, and part of him really wanted to step forward and hug him, kiss him, _anything,_ but he just couldn’t move. So he kept watching, transfixed, clutching Prompto’s hands tighter than ever.

“You’ve done so much for me, Noct. I never thought I could be this happy, you know? To find someone I love so much, who makes me feel so safe… and who’s also somehow become my best friend - though, don’t tell Cindy I said that,” Prompto continued, and when they both chuckled at this, Noctis realized he actually had tears in his eyes. “Anyway, I… I realize some people might think I’m not the best match for you, but… All I want is to try and make you as happy as you’ve made me, and, if you’ll let me, I’d like to keep trying for-” Prompto stopped abruptly and closed his eyes before shaking his head slightly, as he often did when he realized he was babbling.

Noctis swallowed hard when he met Prompto’s gaze again and saw the raw emotion in his boyfriend’s eyes. There was a quick whisper of _“Alright,”_ then Noctis watched with wide eyes as Prompto released his hands and got down on one knee in front of him. Time seemed to slow down and Noctis’ heart felt like it was about to explode as Prompto retrieved a small black box from one of his pockets.

Noctis lowered his eyes briefly to see the lone platinum ring sitting in the box, noticing with fond amusement the narrow dark band running along the middle of it as he realized that Prompto was actually going to beat him to this. He didn’t dwell on that thought for very long, though, his mind going completely blank as soon as his eyes settled on Prompto again, and the reality of the moment fully hit him.

“Noctis Caelum, will you marry me?” Prompto asked, his voice shaky even as he still managed to smile brightly at Noctis.

Noctis stared frozen at Prompto for a few seconds, unsure whether or not his heart had actually exploded, as he tried to will his body to react. Eventually, he couldn’t help the nervous chuckle that escaped him, and noticed that Prompto was now looking confused - as well as somewhat worried.

Not wasting time, Noctis knelt down as well and took out the small box he had with him his whole time, revealing a similar platinum ring inside, but with a golden band in the middle. He smiled softly as he saw Prompto blink at him in shock, and simply replied, “What do you think?”

“You…” Prompto started, staring at Noctis like he had suddenly sprouted a second head, before bursting into laughter. Noctis followed immediately, feeling all the nervousness leaving his body as they laughed together.

Eventually, Noctis just couldn’t help it and surged forward, his free hand settling on the back of Prompto’s head as he captured his lips in a passionate kiss. “Yes,” he said against Prompto’s lips before kissing him again. “Yes, of course, yes,” he said again, still laughing happily.

“Wait,” Prompto said, pulling back a little to look at Noctis. “Did you, like, find out I was gonna ask and prepare this?”

“Actually, I had no idea. I had planned on asking you later tonight... You beat me to it,” Noctis replied with a fond smile.

Prompto’s face took on a curious, amused expression. “Really? So… What did you have in mind?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Um…” Noctis trailed off. Embarrassment sunk in a little and he looked away. He had thought right, after all: Prompto really was so much better at this than he was. “Well, I had planned on taking you to the Citadel? You know, watch the sunset… And then I guess I would have just asked you?”

“What, no speech?” Prompto asked, grinning. “I had a speech prepared and all.”

“Oh come on,” Noctis said, running one hand through his hair. “You know I suck at this.”

“And you know I never thought so,” Prompto said softly, looking at Noctis expectantly, and Noctis knew he had lost - he just couldn’t resist that look.

“Okay,” Noctis breathed out, then swallowed hard, taking Prompto’s free hand in his own. “Okay. First of all, anyone tells you you’re not a good match for me, I’ll kick their ass.”

“Classic Noct move,” Prompto interrupted with a small chuckle.

“I mean it. I don’t… I don’t believe there’s anyone more perfect for me,” Noctis said quickly, feeling himself blush at saying those words out loud. True, they had been victim of the occasional gossip on social networks - whenever someone recognized Noctis while they were on a date… But nothing really worth mentioning; and, besides, Noctis didn’t care one bit what other people thought. His friends and his father all loved Prompto, and even if they didn’t, Noctis was pretty certain it wouldn’t change how he felt about him. “Prom, you’re the one person who sees me for who I am - who loves me for who I am. I don’t have to pretend when I’m with you. It’s like… never mind the money and the successful name, just myself is enough, you know?”

Prompto gently squeezed Noctis’ hand. “You can’t be scared of not being good enough. That’s my thing.”

“What, I can’t borrow your things now?” Noctis asked with a small smirk, tilting his head.

Prompto sighed exaggeratedly. “Well… I guess, if we’re going to be married…”

“If we’re going to be married, maybe we could just stop being afraid,” Noctis interrupted pensively.

“Wouldn’t that be nice?” Prompto replied with a small smile. “Hey, but you haven’t technically asked me, by the way...” he trailed off, his face taking on a playful expression.

“Well, _you_ asked _me_ and I said yes. I thought this went both ways?”

“Come on, indulge me?” Prompto pleaded slightly, with those damn puppy eyes of his.

Noctis rolled his eyes, but he was more amused than anything. “No way, you can’t look at me like that. That’s not playing fair.”

“Aw, but you love me?”

Noctis sighed and shook his head. “I guess I do… And, well, that’s why…” Noctis trailed off, straightening up a little as he realized his legs were starting to hurt. He stared back into Prompto’s eyes with a shy smile as he held up the small box. “Prompto Argentum, will you marry me?”

Prompto leaned forward and kissed Noctis softly. “What do you think?” he whispered against Noctis’ lips.

Noctis couldn’t help but chuckle. “Dork.”

Prompto kissed him again. “Yes,” he breathed out, barely pulling back before capturing Noctis’ lips again, shifting a little closer.

Noctis smiled into the kiss, releasing Prompto’s hand to wrap his arm around his boyfriend’s - _fiance’s_ \- waist. As Prompto pushed forward, Noctis fell back onto the floor, pulling Prompto on top of him. The fall had them both collapse together into heaps of laughter, Noctis’ arms tightly wrapped around Prompto’s body as Prompto buried his head in the crook of his neck, neither of them caring that they were lying on the floor of their apartment.

They eventually managed to catch their breath, and Prompto lifted his head to place a soft kiss on Noctis’ cheek. “We should probably get off the floor.”

“Yeah,” Noctis said, wincing slightly. “It’s not the most comfortable.”

Prompto chuckled as he stood up, holding out his hand to help Noctis up. “I don’t remember you complaining that one time…”

“Hey. There were extenuating circumstances,” Noctis protested, feeling himself blush again at the memory.

“Like what?”

“...You looked hot,” Noctis replied, smirking when it was Prompto’s turn to blush. He then remembered he was still holding onto the box with the ring inside. He took one step closer to Prompto, not releasing his hand, then lifted the box so that Prompto would notice it. “May I?” he asked softly.

Prompto’s face took on a myriad of expressions, from expectation to pure happiness, yet he still bit his lip nervously as he nodded. Slowly, Noctis took out the ring and placed it on Prompto’s finger, tracing it gently with his thumb once it was in place. When Noctis looked up, there was only happiness on Prompto’s face, and his blue eyes were shining brightly, the glow from the candlelight dancing in them. He was struck with the memories of how Prompto had looked back at the Tenebraen ruins, back when their relationship was only beginning. How Noctis had thought back then, under the stars and the lanterns, that he never wanted to let Prompto go.

And now, as they were once again surrounded by hundreds of lights, Noctis vowed in his heart that he would forever hold onto this thought.

“My turn,” Prompto whispered, and Noctis nodded in his turn, placing the now empty box back in his pocket. He watched as Prompto repeated the gesture, his heart beating fast in his chest again. They would have to do this again in front of everyone at the ceremony, but to Noctis, this moment right now was the most important one. Just the two of them. Them, and how they felt about each other. Nothing else mattered.

Noctis stared at the ring on his finger for a few seconds, taking in its whole meaning, the bigger promise that lay behind this small thing. He then stepped forward, cupping Prompto’s face gently to pull him into a soft, loving kiss. Prompto responded immediately by wrapping his arms around his body, and one of Noctis’ hands slowly moved into his fiance’s golden hair, while his other arm settled around Prompto’s shoulders.

They kissed like this for a long time, slow and sweet, both of them content to simply enjoy the moment. When they parted, Noctis kept Prompto’s forehead against his, his fingers still running gently through Prompto’s hair. “I love you, you know?”

“I know,” Prompto replied, and Noctis could hear the smile in his voice. “I love you too.”

* * *

Empty bags of takeout lay on the coffee table as Noctis and Prompto snuggled up on the couch. Neither of them had felt like cooking or going out, so they had ordered some food and stayed in. Besides, Prompto had gone to quite a lot of trouble to set up the whole atmosphere, and Noctis wouldn’t have wanted it to go to waste. It was beautiful, after all.

“So, we’re getting married,” Prompto said quietly from his position against Noctis’ chest.

“You’re realizing it now?” Noctis asked with a chuckle, one of his hands running absently up and down one of Prompto’s arms.

“Yes and no,” Prompto replied. “Hey, Noct. Was there a reason you wanted to propose to me today?”

Noctis stared at the top of Prompto’s head for a moment. “No… why? Should there be a reason?” He wracked his brain, trying hard to think about what day this was. Prompto wouldn’t be asking this if it wasn’t a significant date, and really, the mere fact that Prompto had chosen this day to propose as well should have hinted at it right from the start. “Is it like our anniversary or something?”

Prompto simply laughed. “Well, if we consider our anniversary to be the day we met on the plane, it was actually a few days ago. And before you say anything, I was glad you didn’t remember, because it helped keep today a surprise.”

“It definitely was a surprise,” Noctis said pensively, mentally chastising himself for forgetting anyway. “But then, why today?”

“Ah, well, I told you I wanted to recreate the night at the ruins, right? It was one year ago today.”

Noctis smiled fondly despite himself. “Leave it to you to remember every single event.”

“I can’t help it, I like special dates,” Prompto replied noncommittally.

“I’m sorry, though. I suck at remembering these things.”

“Don’t worry about it. I actually like to surprise you, so it really doesn’t matter. Still, it’s pretty cool that you had planned it for today as well.”

“Maybe leave out the part about me having no clue what day this was when we tell the story to our friends?”

Prompto lifted his head to look at Noctis; he was smiling brightly. “What, you don’t like that it was a coincidence? We could say it was fate or something, it’d be super romantic.”

“Fate-” Noctis started, rolling his eyes. “You’re such a dork.”

“You like the idea, though,” Prompto retorted, his grin widening.

Noctis stared at Prompto for a few seconds, pretending to look slightly annoyed. “Maybe,” he said slowly. He wasn’t entirely opposed to the concept, after all. Technically, fate could also be held responsible for that volcano explosion last year, and how they had found each other sitting together on the same plane. It was a nice thought.

“Because you’re a dork too.”

“Ah, well,” Noctis said, unable to stop himself from smiling any longer as he shifted to kiss Prompto’s forehead. “You wouldn’t have it any other way, though.”

The look Prompto sent him was enough to make Noctis fall in love with him all over again. “I wouldn’t,” he whispered, leaning in to kiss Noctis gently on the lips.

Noctis caught a glimpse of the candlelight reflecting in his ring as he moved his left hand up to cup Prompto’s face. He smiled into the kiss, closing his eyes as he deepened it slowly, feeling Prompto’s body melt against his.

He wouldn’t have it any other way either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this gigantic amount of fluff - not gonna lie, outlining this part gave me butterflies... That's just how much of a gooey mess these two have made me. I'm not ashamed. Warm fluffy feels help me fight seasonal depression ;)
> 
> I really want to thank you all again, sharing this story with you guys has been such a great adventure! I know the epilogue probably doesn't answer all the questions you might have... and I also regret not having found the opportunity to have Gladio and Ignis make an appearance, but the right moment never came. And while I could have dragged this AU on forever and just talk about their relationship back in Insomnia, I'm afraid things wouldn't have been too interesting after a while. So, best to end things now - they're happy, everything is beautiful. 
> 
> Don't hesitate to bother me on Tumblr [@yuneyn](http://yuneyn.tumblr.com/) and Twitter [@Yuneyn_](https://twitter.com/Yuneyn_/)


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